The San Francisco Giants are looking for a corner infielder after learning that their star and spark plug of the team, Hunter Pence, will be out until May 1. If they do not end up making a trade, Gregor Bolanco will play everyday in left field while Pence is out of action.
Pence was injured after being hit by a pitch from Corey Black of the Chicago Cubs. It is crazy how one pitch starts the rumor mills around Major League Baseball.
Allen Craig seemed like a good fit for the Giants according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Craig is a corner infielder with decent power and strength in his throw. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, however, reported that the Giants are not really interested in trying to get Craig from the Boston Red Sox.
The 30-year-old Craig turned himself into a promising outfielder until he crashed in flames during the 2014 season. He went from a .315/.373/.457 hitter with 13 home runs and 97 RBI in 2013 with the St. Louis Cardinals to a .215/.279/.315 hitter with eight home runs and 46 RBI's with both the Cardinals and Red Sox in 2014.
Craig signed a five-year, $31-million dollar contract back in 2013. It extends to 2017 with a $13-million player option for 2018.
Let us say that the Giants trade for Craig. Eventually, they would have to move him to first base after Pence comes back from his 6-8 week injury, but Brandon Belt, who is a solid player, is already playing there. This just does not seem like the best choice for the Giants organization.
As of now, everything has stalled between the two parties.