Giants Scouting Jermaine Dye?

Rumors have been abounding that the Giants are scouting White Sox OF Jermaine Dye and the Indians C/1B Victor Martinez as possible trade candidate for the end of July deadline.

Frankly, it’s a stupid thing for the Giants to be doing.  Dye and Martinez are certainly proven hitters and reliable commodities, but the cost of either player (if, in Dye’s case, the ChiSox are out of the race in the AL Central at the trade deadline, which I doubt) in terms of prospects and salary is just too high, when the Giants have low-cost options at home.

John Bowker, who plays the corner outfield positions and 1B, went 3 for 3 in last night’s ball game in Fresno, hit his 15th HR, and is now hitting .354 with a 1.075 OPS for the year at AAA.

At 1B at the major league level, Travis Ishikawa is finally starting to hit.  He has hit four of his five HRs this year since June 17, and he has an .886 OPS for the month of June.  Finally, the Giants need another catcher about as much as a fish needs a bicycle.

In a previous post about how the Giants should promote Bowker, I got some responses to the effect that Bowker got his chance at the major league level last year, and didn’t cut the mustard, so the Giants should look somewhere.  This argument fails to take into account the fact that young players get better each year, generally until the year in which they hit 28.

I will agree that Bowker didn’t hit enough for a first baseman last year, the position where the Giants had an opening.  However, Bowker was not terrible, and his performance at AAA Fresno this year suggests that he has improved considerably between 2008 and 2009.  At age 25 this year (he turns 26 on July 8), he’s still young enough to have a major league career, provided he gets another chance to show what he can do.

The Giants should give Bowker that chance before wasting talent and money on the likes of a Jermaine Dye or Victor Martinez.