As the Giants close out their first series after the All-Star Break, and with 65 games left, they sit at the top of the NL West by one game. They are eleven games over .500. This is a far cry from where they were back in early June, but now we are in the middle of July, less than couple weeks shy of the trade deadline. There are some things that need to be addressed for the Giants given their current situation, although on the heels of a three game winning streak some might be hesitant to make any big moves. Here are some possible options, in no particular order.
Ben Zobrist, 2B/SS/OF, Tampa Bay Rays
He seems to be quite a hot ticket for this deadline, especially since the Rays are 8 games behind and are looking to improve their own facets in their roster. They will be looking to shop around their ace David Price as well.
Zobrist could help solve the backup leadoff role should Pagan go down again. While he won't wow you with his bat, he tends to get on base about as much as your average leadoff guy. The other big upside is that while he would be a great fill-in for the secondbase issue (i.e. Scutaro's recent health). He can also play in multiple positions in the infield and outfield.
The problem is with this much upside, the Giants may have to give up a big chip or two to get him, which may or may not include top pitching prospect Kyle Crick. Right now Zobrist is signed through 2014 (5 years/$23 million) with a team option for 2015.
Ben Revere, CF, Philadelphia Phillies
This is an option thrown around as an outfield backup for the Giants, possibly even as an everyday outfielder. This would be a marked improvement from outfield backups like Gregor Blanco and Juan Perez, considering his .292 batting average so far this year.
Revere also addresses the leadoff issue. Although his on-base percentage is not quite what a leadoff hitter should be at, he has tremendous upside with his speed, and he tends to put the ball into play a lot more than he strikes out or walks. The Phillies are mainly looking for pitching prospects, at the very least a young, solid arm they can put into their rotation by next season.
While the Giants pride themselves on developing pitching, there may not be a whole lot in terms of starters that will be major league ready by next season. Revere will be eligible for arbitration next season, which could signal that he will not be that expensive of an addition.
Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B/SS or Mike Aviles, 2B/SS/3B/OF, Cleveland Indians
This one is fresh off the presses, with the Giants showing relative interest in the these infielders. They are clearly addressing the Scutaro situation head on, as well as the possibility of resting Crawford as the season progresses. Both Cabrera and Aviles have their own upsides and downsides.
Cabrera is the better hitter with some pop and he can contribute in the bottom half of the lineup. However, he really is a more one position guy and hasn't even started a game at second base in five years. Aviles is a utility guy and has played well in the many positions he's been asked to play. He is not as strong of a bat as Cabrera, but certainly has better numbers than most of the Giants bench has had this season. Aviles, because of his utility role, comes a bit cheaper, but a proper move needs to be made in order to accomodate his wide-range of positions.
The other side of this issue is there is no certainty as to whether the Indians will be buyers or sellers. With them being 4.5 games out of first place and knocking on Detroit's door, they might not be interested in selling a lot. However, the Indians top prospect Francisco Lindor is getting closer and closer to being major league ready, so they may be looking to dump a middle infielder off, provided they can get prospects in return.
Dan Uggla, 2B, Atlanta Braves (Released)
This is only mentioned because the Giants have been thrown into the rumor pit with Uggla. Unfortunately, there is not much upside with him at all. His game has deteriorated offensively and defensivel. In addition, he has not batted much better than most of the Giants bench this season.
The only real upside is that the Giants would only have to pay him league minimum, however, there is a big red flag with this. In 2010, the Giants brought in Pat Burrell on a minor-league deal from the Rays, who at the time was struggling mightily with his game. Burrell thrived in a Giants uniform and contributed greatly to their championship run. Who knows how Uggla would turn out? The change of scenery might help him, but don't bet on it.