SF Giants Trade Rumors: Carlos Beltran Aquired, Could a Catcher Be Next?

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Unless you've been away from your cell phone, Internet, television, or anyone remotely familiar with the San Francisco Giants, you've heard Carlos Beltran is headed to the Bay Area. According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Beltran was dealt to the Giants in exchange for top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.

This is a huge deal, but Giants management might not be done yet.

San Francisco is in need of a starting catcher that will help lead them through the playoffs. These are some backstops that would make sense for the Giants.

Ramon Hernandez, Cincinnati Reds

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Hank Schulman tweeted yesterday that Ramon Hernandez would not be traded. However, today he stated that some in the Giants organization believe there is still a possibility the Reds would be willing to deal him for a pitcher.

Ramon Hernandez would be a great fit for the 2011 Giants. The 35-year-old catcher is a free agent after this season, which would work for San Francisco as Buster Posey should be back in 2012.

For now, though, a veteran catcher is something the Giants really need. Hernandez has a .308/.362/.502 line with 10 home runs this season.

The Reds want pitching, which is something San Francisco has. The Giants could trade one of their many talented relievers for Hernandez before the deadline.

Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs

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There hasn't been much talk surrounding Geovany Soto. Hank Schulman tweeted that he could be the "dark horse" trade candidate.

Soto is hitting .264 with nine home runs and 27 RBI so far in 2011. He'd be arbitration eligible in 2012 and under team control until 2014.

At only 28 years old, Soto could either be a great backup catcher to Buster Posey or good trade bait next season.

Either way, he'd be a fantastic grab for the Giants.

Ronny Paulino, New York Mets

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The New York Mets have had a number of calls on Ronny Paulino, but Ken Rosenthal says he will probably be kept in New York.

He's affordable and arbitration eligible next season, so the Mets will want a highly favorable offer in return for him.

His numbers are solid and San Francisco would probably be happy to obtain Carlos Beltran's former teammate.

There aren't any recent rumors linking the Giants to Paulino, but that doesn't necessarily rule everything out. There's always a chance San Francisco could make the Mets an appealing offer.

They figured out an arrangement with Beltran, so why stop there?

Rod Barajas or Dioner Navarro, Los Angeles Dodgers

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Pure speculation.

If the Dodgers are looking to trade a catcher or two, Jason Churchill thinks a deal is possible.

Rod Barajas has been in a slump but hit a home run in tonight's game, so he's not done yet. He's hitting .210 with eight home runs and 21 RBI.

Dioner Navarro will be getting some more playing time as a result of Barajas' slump, but at the moment Navarro has a .200 batting average with three homers.

Neither catcher is anywhere near the offensive upgrade the Giants would prefer, but they could be better defensively.