3 Trades the San Francisco Giants Should Already Be Thinking About

Despite the early success the San Francisco Giants have enjoyed during the first three weeks of the season, there are still ways to bolster the roster before the July 31 trade deadline.

While it's not a glaring hole, the Giants could certainly upgrade left field if the brass deems it necessary. Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres have done a surprisingly decent job platooning thus far, but left field is generally designated as a power position, and that's something that both Torres and Blanco cannot provide.

However, the Giants could elect to upgrade the position internally and call upon Gary Brown, Francisco Peguero or Roger Kieschnick.

If not, here are three players the Giants could trade for.

Josh Willingham

Josh Willingham would be a solid addition to the San Francisco Giants' lineup, and would be able to slide into left field right away.

He would be a downgrade defensively if he were to replace Gregor Blanco and Andres Torres, but his power would more than make up for it. In 2011 with the Oakland Athletics and last season with the Minnesota Twins, he hit 29 and 35 home runs respectively.

Additionally, the Minnesota Twins will likely be out of contention around the trade deadline, so they might be willing to part with their outfield slugger. 

Carlos Quentin

While he might not be the most popular player in baseball now due to his scuffle with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke, Carlos Quentin can hit.

The Stanford graduate is notorious for being one of the most feared power hitters in baseball. Since 2008, his home run totals have been 36, 21, 26, 24 and 16. Quentin only played 86 games last season, however, which explains his lower home run total.

Furthermore, while he is a power hitter, Quentin doesn't strike out an obscene amount. His strike out totals have not exceeded 84 in his seven-year career.

With that being said, missing games has been a theme throughout Quentin's time in MLB. Since he started in 2007, he's only played an average of 107 games per season.

The San Diego Padres might not be willing to trade within their division, which could make it difficult to obtain Quentin. However, if the Padres happen to drop out of the race early on in the season, they might be willing to part with him.

Michael Cuddyer

Michael Cuddyer has Brian Sabean written all over him. In fact, the Giants enquired about his availability in 2011 before the trade deadline, but the Minnesota Twins were not interested.

You know what you're going to get with Cuddyer. He's going to hit for a decent average—around .280—smash 15-20 home runs and drive in 80-90 runs. He also seems to play well against the Giants.

If you can't beat them, join them.

In fact, Cuddyer is a career .364 hitter in 59 plate appearances against the Giants.

One thing that might prevent the Giants from acquiring Cuddyer is the fact that the Rockies are in the NL West, and could very well be in contention down the stretch.

However, if the Rockies are willing to part with Cuddyer, expect the Giants to be the first team to call.