Who's On Short For The San Francisco Giants?

With Juan Uribe taking his so-called skills to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Edgar Renteria a free agent, all of a sudden the world champs have a huge hole in the middle of their infield. Where do the Giants go from here?

I think they have a couple of options via trade, free agency, or even in-house.

In-House Options

The in-house options are letting either Emmanuel Burriss or Brandon Crawford take the reigns at short. Burriss is a 25-year-old switch-hitter who has a .264/.329/.302 hitting line in 163 Major League games with the Giants.

Crawford was the Giants’ fourth-round pick in the 2008 Draft, and has hit .266/.330/.399 with 17 HRs and eight triples in three minor league seasons. His highest level of competition has been Double-A.

Trade Candidates

Jason Bartlett: In my “Jason Bartlett: What’s His Trade Market?” post, I thought Bartlett would be a good fit for the Giants. I think there is a very good chance Bartlett gets traded to the Giants now.

Marco Scutaro: Scutaro really didn’t endear himself to the Fenway Faithful in 2010 and with Jed Lowrie now fully recovered from the 9,000 injuries that have plagued him over the last couple of years, the Red Sox could ship Scutaro out of town.

Brandon Wood: The one-time top prospect is now in jabroni status. Wood is probably more of a third baseman than shortstop these days, but he’s a classic change of scenery guy, who the Giants can probably get on the cheap from Anaheim.

Jose Reyes: The New York Mets picked up Reyes’ $11 million option for 2011, but he is on shaky ground in Flushing. I don’t believe the Mets will trade him before the season starts, but he would turn the shortstop position from a weakness to a strength for the Giants.

Free Agents

Orlando Cabrera: Cabrera has lost some defensively at short, but the guy is a winner. The Giants can land him on a one-year deal if they want.

Miguel Tejada: Seems like a Giants’ type of player. Good clubhouse guy, doesn’t walk, and is considered a has-been.

Edgar Renteria: Renteria has stated he would like to play again in 2011 and the Giants, if they get desperate, can bring Renteria back on a discounted one-year deal.

Out of all these options, I am going to say Bartlett is their Opening Day SS in 2011. Notice I didn’t mention Derek Jeter. Even though his negotiations with the New York Yankees have become comical at this point, I don’t expect him to be playing anywhere else besides NY in 2011 and beyond.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg