Giants Should Make a Run At Johnson

MLBTradeRumors.com via the San Jose Mercury News is reporting the Giants have kicked around the idea of trading for Nationals' first baseman, Nick Johnson. If I am playing the role of Giants’ GM Brian Sabean, I try to get Nick Johnson.

To say the Giants’ offense is bad is like saying Heidi Klum has an okay body. No, the Giants’ offense is horrific and Heidi Klum has a great body. The Giants rank 14th in the NL in OBP (.315), 14th in runs scored (151), 16th in OPS (.680) and 16th in slugging percentage (.365). They are truly inept.

The Giants two primary first baseman are currently Travis Ishikawa and Rich Aurilla. Despite hitting 16 HR’s and driving in 46 runs in 48 games in 2008 for Triple A Fresno, Ishikawa has not shown that power in the major leagues. Ishikawa is currently hitting .236/0/12/.296 in 89 ab’s. While Rich Aurilia has been a nice player over the years, at 37, he is nothing more than a bench player.

Nick Johnson would solve a lot of the Giants’ problems. As you can see, he would be a clear upgrade at first base and would vastly improve the Giants in both OBP and batting avg. Johnson is currently batting .333 with four HR’s, 22 RBI and a very solid .432 OBP. Plus, Johnson would be a nice fit for AT&T Park. That park is made for linedrive hitters, not HR hitters and Johnson fits that category. According to Fangraphs, Johnson has a 33.1 linedrive percentage on batted balls in 2009.

The Giants are currently have a record of 19-19 and sit in second place in the NLWest. With their pitching staff, they will always have a chance to win a game. However, if the Giants want a legit chance to not only make the playoffs, but to win the NL Pennant, they are going to need more offense. Nick Johnson would be a good start.