San Francisco Giants’ post Panda plan

After losing Pablo Sandoval to the Red Sox, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that they are interested in names such as Max Scherzer, Justin Upton, Nelson Cruz, Chase Headley, Jon Lester, Yasmany Tomas, Nick Markakis, Justin Masterson, and Torii Hunter.

Jake Peavy, 36, will likely not be re-signed and with the uncertainty of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, San Francisco could be quite aggressive in pursuit of top free agents or top trade targets. It’s also hard to see Sergio Romo re-signing as he will garner a decent payday while declining hard in his walk year.

"“They’ve basically reached out to every available outfield option, from Cruz, who wouldn’t seem like a perfect fit as an occasional DH, to Markakis, to even the ex-Giant Cabrera, who had an “awkward departure,” one Giants person admitted about the career years that was cut short after a PED suspension in 2012, when the Giants won the World Series without him.”"

What?

Melky signing back in San Francisco would just be a great troll job on the part of Brian Sabean. Oh and they would have to give up their (now) 20th pick in the 2015 amateur draft.

Heyman also stated that the Giants have been in the middle of talks for Cuban slugger Tomas, who is likely playing left field in the majors in 2015, but could also be turned into a full-time third baseman. If he could play third full-time and proficiently, Gregor Blanco would be set to play left and that’s better than having Adam Duvall or Joaquin Arias playing third. Tomas, 24, is projected to receive an 8 year, $90+ million deal.

Headley, 32, is set to make around $60 million while suffering from back problems, but is arguably a better player than Sandoval and could be a much better option for the short future. San Francisco wouldn’t have to give up a pick for him due to be traded midseason. In 2014, he had a 4.4 fWAR mostly because of his defense and slightly above average offense. He had a 103 wRC+, and 21.6 defensive rating. He is clearly the best defensive third baseman right now and is projected to be a 3.8 win player with a 112 wRC+ and a 9.2 defensive rating in 2015 according to Steamer projections. In the past five seasons, Headley has been worth $102.5 million according to FanGraphs while Sandoval was worth $69 million.

Lester, Headley, Tomas, Masterson, and Hunter wouldn’t cost a draft pick. A trade for a third base replacement may be a bit easier to get done with names like Casey McGehee, Luis Valbuena, Will Middlebrooks, David Freese, Pedro Alvarez, Ben Zobrist (!), Trevor Plouffe, and Lonnie Chisenhall.

With Sandoval’s heart now in Boston, the Giants are ready to spend and spend big.

Oct 2, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (37) pitches in game one of the 2014 American League divisional series against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports