San Francisco Giants: 9 Moves They Can Make to Recapture Last Year's Magic

It is no secret that the Giants caught lightning in a bottle in 2010 when they acquired key players that eventually helped them win the World Series.

Minor league call-ups like Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner and free agents such as Pat Burrell and Cody Ross, as well as relievers acquired via trade such as Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez, all played vital roles in the Giants' journey to become world champions.

While the Giants have played well so far this season, their winning percentage in 2011 is virtually similar to that of 2010 at the time of June 26, being .555 and .558 respectively.

It is hard to argue that the Giants wouldn’t have reached the postseason last year, or even the World Series for that matter, without their midseason acquisitions, and the same needs to be done this year if the Giants want to repeat as champions.

The Giants have holes to fill, such as another difference-maker in the outfield, a shortstop and a catcher. Here are some ideas of potential moves the Giants can make in order to repeat their prior success in 2011.

1) Promote Hector Sanchez

Hector Sanchez is currently the starting catcher for the Fresno State Grizzlies and is now on a fast track to the big leagues.

Similarly to Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval, Sanchez started the season off in Class A ball in San Jose and has climbed the minor league ladder all the way to Class AAA Fresno this season.

While Sanchez is not the same hitting prospect as Belt or Sandoval and has not made it to the majors yet, it is still an incredible feat to jump two minor league levels in one season. Sanchez still has the chance to make that last giant leap this season (no pun intended).

The young Giants prospect is batting a combined average of .302 with 18 doubles, eight home runs and 52 runs driven in. Defensively, Sanchez is throwing out a marginal 36 percent of base stealers, but he also caught Barry Zito’s complete game two-hit shutout in Fresno on June 21.

2) Look for Outside Help at Catcher

If Hector Sanchez is not the answer, then neither is Eli Whiteside or Chris Stewart. Each is a tolerable backup catcher at best, but neither has any business starting at catcher for a playoff-contending team.

I do, however, like Stewart’s defense because of his cannon for an arm and ability to throw out potential base stealers.

Most of the Giants pitchers have long release times towards the plate, giving opposing runners the ability to steal bases with ease. But since the emergence of Stewart, teams now need to think twice when they try to swipe second base.

However, his batting capabilities are far below average. At times, his at-bats will make the Giants look like they have two pitchers in their starting lineup.

When looking for outside help at catcher, the Giants have a few options they can inquire into, such as one of the two Reds catchers in Ramon Hernandez or Ryan Hanigan, the Nationals' Ivan Rodriguez, the Marlins' John Buck or the Texas Rangers' catchers in Mike Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba.

All are experienced catchers with solid defense and a decent bat and could be had at a reasonable price.

3) Trade Jonathan Sanchez and Co. for Houston’s Hunter Pence

Hunter Pence is currently having a career year, but he has always been a quality major league hitter.

Pence is batting .316 with nine home runs and 51 runs batted in, and he will likely be Houston’s representative in the All-Star game this year.

While our outfield is already crowded, Pence would fill the colossal need of a corner outfielder with power. However, since Pence is heavily coveted by the Astros, it will take a hefty deal to pry him away.

Cue Jonathan Sanchez.

Giants fans, it's time to face the cruel reality that Sanchez will probably never reach his full potential due to his lack of command and mental toughness.

He was recently pulled from a game after walking the bases loaded in the fifth inning against the Indians and was put on the disabled list shortly after.

Barry Zito’s return and the emergence of starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong will temper the potential loss of Sanchez.

Since Sanchez’s trade value is probably as low as ever now, it will likely take more pieces to acquire Pence, but I believe it will be well worth it to do so.

4) Trade for Houston’s Michael Bourn or Jason Bourgeois

To continue the trend of looking at Houston’s outfield, center fielders Michael Bourn and Jason Bourgeois are two leadoff hitters who would thrive in the Giants' style of play.

Yes, I know the Giants already have Andres Torres at the leadoff spot, but he is not having the same season he had last year.

Furthermore, Torres is not putting up the type of numbers a prototypical leadoff hitter should, batting only .235 with seven stolen bases.

Torres would probably be better suited for the No. 2 hole until Freddy Sanchez comes back from the disabled list.

Bourn is currently leading the league in steals with 32 and is batting a respectable .284. Bourgeois is batting .354 with an incredible 17 steals in limited playing time.

The Giants play small ball and usually have zero speed on the basepaths unless Torres is on base. Either one of these speedsters would act as our spark plug, as they wreak havoc on the basepaths.

5) Trade for Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy

You don’t need to be a baseball guru to know that Miguel Tejada is not the answer at shortstop for the Giants.

As of June 19, Tejada is dead last on the team in wOBA (weighted on-base average) with a jaw-dropping .232.

Comparatively, Cody Ross leads the team with a .361 wOBA.

Not only is Tejada horrible at the plate, but also he constantly makes untimely errors and shows limited range when going after balls in the field.

The Giants desperately need help at the shortstop position, and Brandon Crawford is not the answer yet.

Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy would be a good fit for the Giants, batting .307 with nine home runs and 28 runs batted in in only 47 games played thus far.

Hardy is solid defensively and could be had for cheap since the last-place Orioles will be looking to unload some of their older positional players.

6) Trade for Cleveland’s Orlando Cabrera

It seems that everywhere Cabrera goes, his team makes the playoffs.

Cabrera has made it to the postseason on five different teams, which is one team and trip short of tying the all-time record. Cabrera is a savvy veteran that would mesh well with the Giants' loose and upbeat clubhouse.

The Cleveland Indians currently sit one game behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central, so the Indians might not be willing to part with their valuable utility player.

But if they are interested in moving Cabrera, expect the Giants to be one of the first teams to call and inquire about his services.

Although he is not known for his bat, he would be a versatile piece of the puzzle for Bruce Bochy to use because of his ability to play every infield position besides first base.

It also wouldn’t hurt for the Giants to add a playoff-experienced shortstop come postseason time, and Giants fans should know how valuable they can be in clutch situations.

Does this hit ring a bell?

7) Trade the Farm for Florida’s Hanley Ramirez

While this may be the most far-fetched idea in the article, it doesn't mean it can’t happen.

Hanley Ramirez was once baseball’s new and young phenomenon at a position that has recently run dry of star power.

However, being widely ridiculed as being one of the league’s laziest players, Ramirez’s numbers have slowly plummeted every year since he came into the big leagues.

Currently batting only .218 with four home runs and a lowly 21 runs batted in, Ramirez is on pace to have his worst season statistically.

Maybe that's something a little change of scenery would fix.

Even though the Marlins currently sit in last place in the National League East and trail the first-place Philadelphia Phillies by 14 games, it will probably take a few of the Giants' top prospects, like Brandon Belt, Zach Wheeler or Gary Brown, to even make the Marlins consider an offer.

Ramirez isn't a free agent until 2015, which means the Giants would have the shortstop position taken care of for at least the next four years.

While this might be a risky move due to Ramirez’s recent track record, players like Hanley Ramirez don't come around often.

8) Move Brandon Belt to Right Field

Don’t forget about Belt.

Undoubtedly, the Giants' top prospect has yet to make his presence felt in the big leagues this season due to an early-season demotion back to the minor leagues, as well as a broken wrist suffered later in the year.

While Belt did show some signs of promise in the beginning of the year, holes in his swing and an unimpressive .211 batting average earned him a trip back down the minors to work out some of the kinks in his swing.

Belt did just that, batting .337 with four home runs and 21 runs batted in during his 31-game stint in Class AAA Fresno. While it is no question that Belt’s presence in the Giants lineup would help the team score runs, it is where to put him defensively that leaves Bruce Bochy scratching his head.

The Giants practiced Belt in the outfield for a few days, and a temporary shift to right field remains a possibility upon Belt’s return from the disabled list.

Current first baseman Aubrey Huff has been seeing the ball better as of late and continues to play solid defense, so it is unlikely that Belt will be awarded his natural position of first base when he returns.

9) Bring Back Barry Bonds

Hey, I bet you that if he threw on a uniform tomorrow, he would be the best hitter in the Giants lineup.

That statement could make a Giants fan laugh and cry at the same time.

Jose Reyes Is Not a Realistic Option

Sorry, Giants fans.

I hate to break it to you, but Jose Reyes is not a realistic trade option this trade deadline.

While Reyes would perfectly fit our style of play, being a speedy shortstop who can play defense, hit for average, steal bases and score runs, he would come at too high of a price.

Not only would trading for Reyes decimate our entire farm system, he is also only under contract for one more season and then will likely leave via free agency for a team willing to offer him a $100 million contract.

The Giants do not have enough money to go around to afford such a hefty contract while some of their own players are currently awaiting pay raises.

Key players such as Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian Wilson, Jonathan Sanchez and Pablo Sandoval are all due for pay raises within the next couple of years, making Jose Reyes nothing more than a pipe dream.

If the Giants do trade for Reyes, however, and he decides to leave after this season, it is true that the Giants will receive two compensatory first-round draft picks in return. This would make the trade a little easier to swallow but would still result in hurting the franchise in the long term. 

Trading for Reyes would require packaging Jonathan Sanchez along with some of our top-tier prospects, such as Brandon Belt, Zach Wheeler and Gary Brown.

These types of prospects would be extremely tough to replace in the Giants farm system, even with the two compensatory first-round draft picks.

In a perfect world, Jose Reyes would be a perfect addition to the Giants lineup. Moreover, probably every other MLB team would love to add Reyes to its squad due to the league's lack of talent at the shortstop position.

The Giants should stick with what won them the World Series in 2010, and that is focusing on pitching and surrounding their staff with the best bunch of "misfits" they can possibly formulate.