Scratch Brandon Nimmo off the list. The list of potential free-agent targets for the San Francisco Giants is growing smaller by the day. At this point, if the SF Giants want to make a major free-agent hitter addition, they'll need to sign either Carlos Correa or Dansby Swanson. Swanson's bat is a bit iffy, but he's young, athletic, fast, and a good defender. Correa seems to be the real prize, but ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Yankees may be involved in the bidding. If New York makes a hard push for Correa, the Giants could be in trouble. While the SF Giants might be able to bully a team like the Twins financially, they wouldn't necessarily be able to do so with the Yankees. And after adding Judge, the Yanks are a far more desirable destination for a free-agent hitter like Correa.
If the Giants miss out on all of the top free agent hitters that were of interest to them, it would be quite the disappointment and failure—although not necessarily for lack of trying. There are other options, however, on the trade market. The downside there is that they would have to part with young talent in order to swing a trade, whereas with free agents the only cost is cash. Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, Daulton Varsho, Bryan Reynolds, Dylan Carloson, and Ramón Laureano stand out as some possible San Francisco Giants outfield trade targets. All are young, athletic, and would be an upgrade for the Giants.
Speaking of trade possibilities, the Giants traded for Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol recently. He is a left-handed-hitting outfielder and catcher, and by virtue of being a Rule 5 pick, he has to be on the 26-man roster all season or else be offered back to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The SF Giants have Joey Bart and Austin Wynns already on the 40-man and projected to the major league roster, so the acquisition of Sabol is noteworthy. We continue to hear reports that the Giants are interested in a catching upgrade, with Oakland's Sean Murphy and the Toronto Blue Jays' trio of talented catchers the most obvious trade targets. Christian Vazquez, who, like Carlos Correa, is from Puerto Rico, has also been linked to the Giants.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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