Latest San Francisco Giants trade rumors, injury updates and other important notes

May 2, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) bats against the Oakland Athletics during the game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeated the Athletics 8-7. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Trade rumors 

All Brian Sabean did was sit in on a Mets-Nationals series last weekend, but that was enough for MLB analysts (myself included) to run wild with trade speculation centered around the Giants’ obvious third base and starting pitching needs.

Third base

At the hot corner, the names that have popped up range from the Phillies’ Cody Asche all the way to Adrian Beltre of the Rangers—a pretty wide spectrum in terms of both talent and plausibility. Other options brought up include Daniel Murphy (Mets), Trevor Plouffe (Twins) and Chris Johnson (Braves).

Name value aside, the most important thing to consider is this:

If you believe Bowden, Beltre—who has two years left on his five-year, $80 million contract—would be the most enticing addition by a country mile. The potential for a deal is made even more intriguing by the fact that Texas’ top prospect is, like Beltre, a power-hitting third baseman.

It’s too early in the season for the Rangers to be selling, but this one may be worth monitoring if a) the Giants’ offense is still scuffling around the deadline and b) Casey McGehee still hasn’t turned things around by then.

Starting pitching

In terms of pitching help, San Francisco did recently pick up former All-Star pitcher Ricky Romero, but he’s far from ready to make a splash in the bigs. Cole Hamels, on the other hands, is a lefty that could single-handedly revamp the Giants’ rotation, and his name was recently brought up after it was made known that he was a target last offseason: 

But as much as the organization values starting pitching, I don’t see them making a play for Hamels unless Matt Cain and Jake Peavy both struggle upon return. The Giants would have to give away the farm to even have a shot at Hamels, and he would come at a hefty price even if the Phillies are willing to cover some of his $22.5 million annual salary. As an aside, it’s hard to ignore the possibility that he undergoes a Barry Zito-like regression somewhere down the line.

A more realistic target is Scott Kazmir, as he is unlikely to remain with the A’s past 2015, per Bowden, and could be swapped for less elite minor-league talent. The same could be said of the Mets’ Dillon Gee, who would come relatively cheap and immediately bolster the rotation’s back end.

Next: Click for Giants injury updates