The MLB offseason is into 2015 and trade rumors have Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar as targets for the Oakland Athletics and Billy Beane, while the San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, LA Angels, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Yanks and Seattle Mariners could also be interested and this comes as the start of pitchers and catchers reporting is just a couple months away.
The Giants lost Pablo Sandoval in free agency and the team is looking to replace him at third base and they also reportedly want to add another pitcher to the rotation. Madison Bumgarner is back as the ace for the Giants, but with Matt Cain coming back from an injury and Tim Lincecum and unknown quantity going forward, the rotation needs some depth. Hardball Talk reported that the team was looking into James Shields in free agency and Buster Olney at ESPN.com wrote that the Giants were an outside option for Scherzer.
UPDATE: Oh that wild Billy Beane. Reports have the Athletics looking to acquire Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar from the Rays.
Now it looks like the Giants are out on the two free agent pitchers and they may now look at one of the lower level options on the market. Hardballtalk.com reported that the team is interested in trading for Cole Hamels, but that it's unlikely they will meet the demands of the Phillies for the deal. Zobrist is a more likely option, as the Giants could use him at third base and around the infield and outfield for San Francisco. The Rays may be more willing to trade Zobrist now that they have signed Asdrubal Cabrera, as they already moved Wil Myers to the Padres.
The Mariners are another team that could be interested in Zobrist, but the trade for Seth Smith likely takes care of their outfield issues. The team likely will use Smith in a platoon with Justin Ruggiano and those trades came after the M's already signed Nelson Cruz as a free agent. The Giants of course won the World Series this season over the Kansas City Royals and Zobrist would be a great addition, as he is versatile and a strong offensive player at 33-years-old.
Zobrist is a strong offensive option and he hit above .260 last year and added double digit home runs along with over 50 RBIs for a Rays team that struggled. Zobrist is durable and his versatility is a huge plus for any team that gets him. The Giants are looking for a new third baseman and he can play in the outfield as well, while the Nationals also have some areas where he could fit. The Nats are a World Series contender and could look at him to take over at shortstop.
Zobrist is not an injury prone player and he should be in the lineup a ton. Ethier is an injury prone player and now that the Dodgers have traded Matt Kemp he may remain with the team. Zobrist has been a work horse and he has had MVP like seasons in the past while playing in at least 140 games in each of the last five years and last season he once again was durable. The Giants are likely out of the race for Max Scherzer or James Shields in free agency, while the NY Yankees remain dark horses for one of the free agent pitchers. Both teams could also look at Zobrist.
