San Francisco Giants: 5 Left Field Targets for the Offseason

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The San Francisco Giants are clearly big players in free agency when it comes to the left field market. 

The Giants had one of the best left fielders in the game for over half the year. Then, Melky Cabrera was caught for PED's and left a huge hole in left field for San Francisco. 

Gregor Blanco has not been horrible, but he is not the long term option in left field. 

The Giants must go hard after a left fielder in the offseason, and luckily there are some solid options. 

Scott Hairston

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Scott Hairston had a breakout year this season for the New York Mets.

Hairston hit .263 with a career high, 20 home runs this season. He also seemed to be a Giants killer too many times. 

Unfortunately, Hairston isn't exactly at the peak of his career. 

Hairston would not be a long term option for San Francisco. A one or two year contract to get a little more pop in left is certainly an intriguing idea with Hairston. 

Delmon Young

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Delmon Young isn't exactly the phenom he was once hyped up to be. 

Young would definitely add pop and is a professional hitter. This season he hit .267 with 18 home runs and 74 RBI for the Detroit Tigers. 

Nobody knows if Young will ever be the super star he was supposed to be, but he is still young. The main concern with signing Young would be his glove in left. 

Young could add pop to the lineup, but his glove would be a concern and paying him the big bucks is out of the question. 

Cody Ross

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Every one remembers the great Cody Ross from the Giants' 2010 World Series team. 

The man was the perfect pickup for the Giants. Unfortunately, he no longer wears the orange and black, but he his a free agent again this offseason. 

With the Boston Red Sox, Ross hit .267/.326/.481 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI in 130 games. The Giants certainly could have used that production this year. 

Ross isn't a big time money player, but two or three years with respectable money could help bring Ross back to the Bay. 

Nick Swisher

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Nick Swisher will be a very interesting free agent. 

Will someone give him Jayson Werth type money? Will the Yankees bring him back? 

There are plenty of questions, but Swisher will definitely be wanted. Swisher hit .272/.364/.473 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI in 148 games. 

Swisher is one of the league's most underrated players and will get paid in the offseason. 

He may not be worth Jayson Werth money, but three to five years and between $50 and 75 million is worth it for the Giants. 

Josh Hamilton

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Oh, the curious case of Josh Hamilton. 

Hamilton is the biggest name on the free agent market and has the biggest questions about him. 

Could he still have a relapse? Is he the MVP player or the one that dropped the Rangers' season? 

Texas fans will certainly regret booing Hamilton out of town, as it seems his days in a Rangers jersey are over. Even with a all the question marks, Hamilton is still one of baseball's best and hit .285/.354/.577 with 43 home runs and 128 RBI. 

Since he is such an interesting story, Hamilton's contract situation will be a sticky one. If the Giants can snag him for three to five years and $50 to 85 million, they would be instant front runners for the World Series in 2013.