MLB Trade Deadline: 5 Players the San Francisco Giants Should Look to Add Today

The San Francisco Giants have been very active leading up to today's 4:00 p.m. EDT MLB Trade Deadline. After landing Carlos Beltran earlier in the week, the Giants traded minor league outfielder Thomas Neal for veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

Brian Sabean would still like to add a leadoff hitter and a catcher. Here are five players Sabean should be inquiring on before the deadline passes this afternoon.

Coco Crisp, CF (Oakland A's)

Crisp could be a nice addition to the Giants, but only if the price is perfect. 

Crisp, with a stat line of .270/.325/.385/.711 in 371 at-bats, is only a slight upgrade over incumbent Andres Torres (.234/.320/.360/.680). Sabean had been in on Michael Bourn of the Astros until he was sent to the Braves this morning, and Sabean has made it known that CF and leadoff is a concern. He will make an upgrade if he can.

The Giants and A's don't get together in trades very often, but this is one move that could be helpful to the Giants down the stretch.

Reed Johnson, OF (Chicago Cubs)

Reed Johnson is a gamer. He plays hard, plays to win and does all the little things right. He is hitting .326/.367/.551/.917 this year in 138 at-bats, and he is one of those spark plug players who is like the annoying gnat in your ear—he won't go away.

If the Cubs are willing to part ways with Johnson and the price is a low-to-mid-level prospect, Sabean should make that move. His batting sample size is small this year (only 138 at-bats), but even his career average numbers (.283/.341/.415/.756) are good enough to take a chance.

Ramon Hernandez, C (Cincinnati Reds)

Catcher has been an obvious area of concern for the Giants since Buster Posey was knocked out for the year. The platoon of Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart is nice—unless you are a team competing for a World Series championship. 

The hole at catcher is huge, and if the Reds decided to move Hernandez, he would fill that hole nicely.

The Giants have been rumored to be interested in Hernandez for weeks now. His batting line of .308/.368/.500/.868 in 208 at-bats dwarfs what Giants catchers have produced. Hernandez is also a far superior defensive catcher to either Whiteside or Stewart, and would be a fantastic finishing touch on the trading season for Sabean if he could pull it off.

Ronny Paulino, C (New York Mets)

Like Ramon Hernandez, Ronny Paulino would have a huge offensive impact on the Giants. He has only 164 at-bats, but his numbers are .305/.335/.390/.726, which are consistent with his career numbers. 

The Mets have obviously already scouted the Giants' farm system, so if they decide they will move Paulino, a deal could happen quickly if the price is right.

Melky Cabrera, OF (Kansas City Royals)

Melky Cabrera had a rough 2010 season in Atlanta; his numbers dropped across the board. He has since rebounded into a dynamic player yet again this year, posting a .302/.337/.463/.800 hitting line playing full time.

I felt Cabrera was a viable option for Sabean to look at if a deal for Beltran fell through, but he could also be a nice piece to complement the Giants' new right fielder. The price for Cabrera will be higher than for anyone else on this list, but he also has the most upside of them all.

I trust Sabean has a keen idea of what the Giants' organization is willing to give up in any trade, and if he feels he can get Cabrera within those parameters, he will.