The San Francisco Giants swung and missed three times this offseason in attempting to sign Pablo Sandoval, Yasmany Tomas and Jon Lester. They're currently talking to reliever Sergio Romo and are reportedly interested in power-hitting outfielder and a top starting pitcher.
As of Tuesday night, the Giants began searching for their Plan B after losing out on Jon Lester. That plan included Atlanta Braves outfielder Justin Upton, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Three club officials with knowledge of the trade talks mentioned Braves' third baseman Chris Johnson was also involved in the discussions, which have gone beyond the preliminary stages.
San Francisco is in dire need of a power-hitting outfielder since they're expected to lose Michael Morse in free agency. Upton would be a great fit for the Giants, but they would only have him for one year at $14.5 million since he becomes a free agent after 2015, unless they manage to sign him to an extension. They also have a vacancy at third after Sandoval bolted for the Red Sox, which is where Johnson can fill in. The 30-year-old is signed through the 2017 season and has a team option for 2018, potentially giving them a longer-term option at the position.
The Braves, who are looking to shed payroll and acquire starting pitching, might be willing to execute such a trade because the Giants have a surplus of pitchers in their farm system. Atlanta has an incomplete starting rotation right now after non-tendering both Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen, but there's a possibility they bring one of them back, president of baseball operations John Hart told the MLB Network on Tuesday. In that case, they can acquire a couple of prospects from San Francisco and get them ready for next season. We'll see what continues to develop.
Now, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Giants have joined the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers as the teams interested in starting pitcher Cole Hamels. As we've previously mentioned, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro wants three top prospects in return for the left-hander, so at this point it's unknown where the Giants stand. The fact that they're intrigued provides a fascinating case because a starting rotation that consists of Hamels, Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain would surely be one of the best.
However, the Giants have no "Grade A" prospects, according to MinorLeagueBall.com, so that significantly decreases the likelihood of a deal getting done. The discussions should at least develop a bit, so we'll see what general manager Brian Sabean is willing to do to acquire another established starting pitcher.
