Giants Will Trade for a Right Handed Outfielder. Who and When?
It seems pretty obvious if you think about it. Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan are switch-hitting natural lefties. Nate Schierholtz is a lefty. Potential 4th outfielder Gregor Blanco – Yep, that’s right – lefty. I played six years of little league baseball – which only means I am highly qualified to watch baseball on T.V. But I know that as a left-handed hitter, every pitch coming out of a left-handed pitcher’s hand looked like it was going to hit me. Left-handed hitters do better against right-handed pitchers, and vice-versa. The Giants are not likely to trade before the season starts, but the need for more right-handed hitting in the outfield will rise to the surface like scum on a warm pond sooner rather than later.
A non-exhaustive list of right-handed outfielders acquired in recent years after the season started: Guillen, Burrell, Ross, Beltran. It wouldn’t be the first time the Giants had to beef up the outfield. So who is going to get traded for a right-handed outfielder? We have at least three contenders at first base and there just isn’t a need for three first basemen Will it be Brandon Belt? He is hitting well in Cactus league play, going 3 for 5 today. Will it be Brett Pill? He made a pre-season appearance in left today, but outfield is not his “natural” position; his greatest effectiveness is at fist. Aubrey Huff has a big contract that other teams are not likely to take; the Giants may have to eat some of it to send him to another team.
Hector Sanchez and Tommy Joseph are both swinging good bats as catching prospects, but they would most likely need to be packaged with other players to get a major league contributor. Emmanuel Burriss is caught in a logjam in the utility infielder role behind Fontenot and Theriot, and it’s a stretch to think they will move him to the outfield full time. Does Burriss have trade value? He’s out of options, so the Giants can’t send him the minors if another team wants him; they would have to trade him or play him.
The Giants may wait until the trade deadline to make a move, in which case they may pick up someone who has been released, like Burrell. If they trade Brandon Belt, many Giants fans will be disappointed to lose such a promising prospect, but you have to give up something to get something back. It won’t be Pill because he is a right handed hitter, and they need to add righties. The best prospect for the Giants may be to trade Huff and let Belt play. It should be interesting to watch.
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