Free Agents Who Could Replace Pablo Sandoval on the Giants

The thought of watching Pablo Sandoval standing at third base somewhere besides San Francisco in 2015 isn't one that Giants fans are eager to embrace.

While both sides are said to be optimistic about working out a new, long-term contract, per ESPN's Buster Olney (subscription required), he's quick to remind us that report guarantees nothing: "Optimism doesn't always translate into an actual deal, of course. If Sandoval’s side is stuck on a particular number, then the Giants could always move on to other options."

With no legitimate internal options to replace him were he to depart, the Giants would likely have to find their next third baseman on the free-agent market. The good news for general manager Brian Sabean and company is that there are a number of players available that could be up to the task.

Why could and not are?

Because of the five options available, only two have spent the bulk of their career at the hot corner.

Alberto Callaspo

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

2014 Stats (OAK): .223/.290/.290, 19 XBH (4 HR), 39 RBI

While most think of Callaspo as a utility player given his ability to play multiple positions, the 31-year-old switch-hitter has spent the bulk of his career at the hot corner, where he's flashed a surprisingly solid glove.

Among the 22 players to log at least 4,500 innings at third base since 2006, his 7.5 UZR/150 ranks seventh, per FanGraphs, and his 11 defensive runs saved are ninth.

He's been productive over six full major league seasons, hitting .267/.333/.376, though he offers little in the way of power. Callaspo typically walks as much (or more) than he strikes out and has proven that he can be productive.

That he's coming off the worst season of his career not only makes him a good bounce-back candidate, but one that will come at a bargain price.

Chase Headley

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

2014 Stats (SD/NYY): .243/.328/.372, 34 XBH (13 HR), 49 RBI

Fans expecting to sign Headley and see him revert to his 2012 form, when he hit .286 with 31 home runs and a league-leading 115 RBI while winning a Gold Glove Award and finishing fifth in the NL MVP voting for San Diego, will be sorely disappointed, for that player no longer exists.

The one that remains still has that Gold Glove-caliber defense but is nowhere near as prolific a run-producer, driving in a combined 99 runs over the past two seasons, something that could be attributed to a number of injuries that have felled him along the way.

That said, Headley was far more productive after his midseason trade to New York in 2014, hitting .262/.371/.398 with 14 extra-base hits (six home runs) and 17 RBI over 58 games with the Yankees, which perhaps serves as an indicator that the 30-year-old has turned a corner at the plate.

His defense alone is valuable, but considering the relative dearth of third base options available and the Yankees' desire to bring him back to the Bronx, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, signing Headley will be a somewhat costly proposition—but he'll cost a fraction of what Sandoval eventually signs for.

Jed Lowrie

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2014 Stats (OAK): .249/.321/.355, 38 XBH (6 HR), 50 RBI

Primarily a shortstop over his seven-year career, Lowrie hasn't tried his hand at third base since 2011, when he appeared in 33 games at the hot corner for Boston. But he was surprisingly effective when he did, posting a 6.8 UZR/150 and three DRS.

Lowrie, who had a career-year in 2013 when he hit .290 with 15 home runs, 75 RBI and a .791 OPS with Oakland, was surprisingly ineffective at the plate in 2014. Like his former A's teammate Alberto Callaspo, he's a candidate to have a bounce-back season in 2015.

While it's unclear whether Lowrie is willing to consider playing the hot corner on a full-time basis, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reports that a number of teams have reached out to the 30-year-old due to his ability to play multiple infield positions.

Salary-wise, Lowrie's next deal figures to be closer to what Headley gets than what Callaspo does, though he's not going to break the bank for whatever team winds up signing him.

Hanley Ramirez

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

2014 Stats (LAD): .283/.369/.448, 48 XBH (13 HR), 71 RBI

No player available this offseason is as explosive a weapon as Ramirez is, given his ability to hit for average and power while causing problems for the opposition with his speed when he gets on base.

Yet there are major concerns about inking the soon-to-be-31-year-old to a long-term deal, one that figures to eclipse nine figures. First is his ability to stay healthy—only once since 2010 has he managed to play in more than 130 games.

Perhaps more alarming is his quickly deteriorating defense, which led most people to believe that he was going to have to move off of shortstop in 2015.

While Ramirez has indicated that he's open to a position change, per Heyman, he's played a total of 98 games at the hot corner, all in 2012. The results—a minus-6.8 UZR/150 and a minus-11 DRS—were not good.

Yet Ramirez is talented enough that, if he were to truly dedicate himself to learning the position, it's possible that he could offer at least passable defense at the hot corner, with his bat making up for whatever deficiencies remain.

Signing Ramirez is probably the least likely option of the five for the Giants, given the cost and risk involved, but there's little question that, offensively at least, he'd potentially be a massive upgrade over an already productive Sandoval.

Mark Reynolds

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

2014 Stats (MIL): .196/.287/.394, 31 XBH (22 HR), 45 RBI

Mark Reynolds does one thing well—he hits for power.

Coming off his seventh consecutive season with at least 20 home runs, the 31-year-old would give the Giants a third powerful right-handed bat to go along with Buster Posey and Hunter Pence. But with that right-handed power comes a plethora of strikeouts and an inability to hit for average.

Reynolds, like Adam Dunn before him, is the current face of baseball's "All-or-Nothing" club, the players who either go deep or go down on strikes.

While he's been a terrible defender at third base over the course of his eight-year career (minus-10.1 UZR/150, minus-56 DRS), he did provide Milwaukee with above-average play at the position last season when he had to step in for an injured Aramis Ramirez.

The Brewers would like to bring Reynolds back to play first base, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and right-handed power is always in demand. Yet the bidding for his services will remain relatively tame, and if the Giants can live with his questionable defense, the addition of his power to the lineup could help replace some of Sandoval's ability to produce runs.

Unless otherwise noted/linked, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs.

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