The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants will need to find solutions at the third base position after bad news broke this weekend regarding David Wright and Casey McGehee.
In New York, the Mets diagnosed Wright with spinal stenosis, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, and there's no timetable for his return. Wright had already been dealing with a strained hamstring and a lower back issue, which have kept him on the shelf since mid-April.
They've used Daniel Murphy at third base in the meantime, but he was moved back to second base when Dilson Herrera landed on the disabled list with a fractured finger. Eric Campbell has taken over at the hot corner since.
On the other hand, the Giants designated McGehee for assignment, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. The veteran has failed to produce since coming over in a trade with the Miami Marlins this offseason and was batting .200/.254/.282 with seven runs scored, two home runs and nine RBIs in 35 games with San Francisco.
The 24-year-old Matt Duffy was given the job at third, but it's unknown if the team will move on with him for the long-term. He's batting .297/.327/.396 with seven runs scored, two home runs and 19 RBIs in 32 games (at third base, shortstop, second base and first base) this year. The rookie will now get playing time on a full-time basis and prove whether he can handle maintaining the third base job.
Although these clubs have internal solutions in the meantime, are they exploring trades for a third baseman as the deadline approaches?
ESPN Insider Jim Bowden says the Mets and Giants are interested in Ben Zobrist of the Oakland Athletics. He also notes San Francisco could explore a deal for Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez. On Bowden's likelihood scale of being traded (1-5 with 1 being the least likely and 5 being the most likely), Zobrist is a 5 and Ramirez is a 4.
Rumors previously suggested the Giants were hoping to make a deal for Mets' infielder Daniel Murphy, but that's probably no longer an option because New York is dealing with infield depth issues themselves.
Zobrist and Ramirez remain prime trade candidates because they will both become free agents after this season and are currently playing for last-place clubs. The A's and Brewers have the two worst records in the MLB.
Despite a number of injuries, the Mets and Giants have managed to remain in the discussion as they both sit in second place in their respective divisions. New York is 2.5 games behind the NL East-leading Washington Nationals and San Francisco is two games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Depending on how their situations at third base continue to develop, look for the Mets and Giants to make a move to upgrade at the position before this year's trade deadline.
