Even after posting a 64-98 record and finishing in last place in the National League West, the San Francisco Giants have been one of the most talked about teams in baseball this offseason.
The fire igniting the hot stove is Giancarlo Stanton trade rumors, and the San Francisco Giants are heavily involved in trying to lure Stanton away from the Miami Marlins. If Stanton agrees to waive his full no-trade clause, a deal could be completed as soon as this week, with the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals reportedly the two leading candidates to land the power-hitting superstar.
But what happens if Stanton doesn’t end up in San Francisco?
On Monday morning, Bob Nightengale of USA Today joined Gary & Larry on KNBR to discuss how the Giants would pivot if general manager Bobby Evans isn’t able to execute a trade for the Marlins’ right fielder.
“I would think they would go get some outfield help,” Nightengale said. “I would think they pivot toward J.D. Martinez, that seems natural. If you can’t get Stanton, get the next best power hitter and that’s J.D. Martinez right now. And you know, he comes cheaper than Stanton. He’s not going to get $200 million, that’s what he wants, but even if he got every penny that he wanted, that’s still about $100 million cheaper than Stanton.”
While Stanton led all of baseball with 59 home runs in 2017, Martinez finished in second place with 45 home runs. After being traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Arizona Diamondbacks in June, Martinez went on a tear, slamming 29 homers in just 62 games as he helped lead the team to a National League wildcard berth.
Nightengale also said that San Francisco could consider free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas, who fills a need for a Giants team that’s determined to find a starting third baseman this offseason.
“I don’t think they catch (Jake) Arrieta, there’s no reason to spend $150 million on a starting pitcher,” Nightengale said. “They could go get a Moustakas as well, that’s a great fit. You know, the same type of thing. Moustakas, his preference is to go to Anaheim which is where he’s from, you know, let’s be honest, if it was up to every single Major League player, probably 99 percent of them would want to be in San Diego if they were a team that won. But they’re not. So it’s just a comfort level in a hometown.”
Nightengale also discussed the prospects of the Giants landing Japanese superstar Shohei Otani, but he said the two-way player is a bonus for any team looking to add a free agent this offseason. San Francisco can offer Otani a maximum of $300,000, but all indications to this point suggest that Otani isn’t motivated by money.
“I would think, yeah, no one is going to hold out hope for Otani because that’s just a bonus,” Nightengale said. “And there’s only two teams involved in Stanton. If Stanton doesn’t accept a trade now, I think he’s going to be stuck in Miami all year. I think it’s going to be years before they can afford Stanton. I don’t think the Dodgers are a factor at all.”
To listen to Nightengale’s full interview with Gary & Larry, click the podcast link below. To hear Nightengale discuss who the Giants might pivot to if they can’t land Stanton, skip ahead to the 7:30 mark.