Several San Francisco Giants trade deadline targets revealed

Jul 28, 2023, 11:16 AM

ST LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 30: Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals and Tommy Edman #19 of the ...

(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

The San Francisco Giants will be looking to buy before Tuesday’s Major League Baseball trade deadline, but which positions will President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi look to fill?

According to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, the Giants have their eyes on several middle-infielders, including two St. Louis Cardinals that could be on the move in the coming days:

The Giants are seeking middle-infield help, per sources, touching base with the Royals about Nicky Lopez and the Cardinals about Paul DeJong. St. Louis also has Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan, who are drawing interest from multiple clubs.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand – July 27, 2023

Paul DeJong – St. Louis Cardinals (13) pic.twitter.com/AxrASe1Ued

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 21, 2023

While Brandon Crawford and Thairo Estrada work their way back from the injured list, San Francisco has had to dig deep into its depth to fill their middle infield positions.

As of Friday, the Giants are currently navigating this pre-deadline stretch with three rookies–Marco Luciano, Casey Schmitt, and Brett Wisley–logging the majority of available playing time at shortstop and second base.

Per Feinsand’s report, San Francisco is eyeing the possibility of bringing in veterans to man those middle-infield positions until Crawford and Estrada are able to return.

DeJong, a 29-year-old shortstop that was named to the NL All-Star team in 2019, has struggled over the past three seasons (.200 average over 268 games). The seven-year veteran will be a free agent at the end of this season unless St. Louis (or another team that DeJong is traded to) picks up his $12.5 million team option for 2024.

Edman is a more intriguing option for the Giants, although he is expected to have a heftier price tag since the infielder is under team control through the 2025 season. The 28-year-old won the Gold Glove Award at second base in 2021 and is a stolen base threat (averaging 25 per season since 2021).

If San Francisco wants to pry Edman from the selling Cardinals, it might take more than Zaidi is willing to part with.

Nicky Lopez might've thrown this 100 mph. pic.twitter.com/82r5ildXnM

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) June 5, 2021

Another option for the Giants is Kansas City Royals infielder Nicky Lopez, who can play third base, shortstop, or second base.

Lopez, 28, is under contract through 2025, but the Creighton product has struggled at the plate since batting .300 in 2021. Over the past two seasons, Lopez is hitting .223 over 207 appearances.

San Francisco might be able to trade for Lopez on a reasonable deal seeing that the infielder’s stock is down, but it’s unknown what that price tag might look like.

The picture on what these potential deals could look like will become clear in the coming days as we speed toward Tuesday’s 3:00 PM PST trade deadline.