San Francisco Giants Rumors: Red Sox eyeing Eduardo Nunez

Today is July 19th, and we are twelve days away from the 2017 MLB Trade Deadline. As July 31st inches closer, names of many San Francisco Giants will come up in trade rumors with all sorts of different teams. Jeff Samardzija and Eduardo Nunez are the two who have drawn the most interest so far. 

The Boston Red Sox are desperate for a third baseman after losing out on the Todd Frazier sweepstakes to their arch-rivals. The White Sox who have recently sky rocketed into one of the best farm systems in baseball, just acquired a lot more talent to bolster their farm. The Yankees gave up one of their top prospects, Blake Rutherford, and other big names such as Ian Clarkin and outfielder Tito Polo.

After trading away some of their top prospects this off season, the Red Sox still have a solid farm system. They currently have two of their top prospects ranked in the Top-100. After designating Pablo Sandoval for assignment, the Red Sox are rolling with Deven Marrero at third base. Sandoval did nothing for the Sox, and so far Marrero isnt doing any better.

The Red Sox are desperate, and after losing out on Todd Frazier, who was close to being traded to the them, need to make a move at the deadline. Lucky for Dave Dombrowski, the Giants have might just have someone. Eduardo Nunez is not Todd Frazier, and therefore wont bring in a Todd Frazier-like haul. But he is solid and more than serviceable at third base. After his walk-off single last night against the Indians, Nunez is hitting .295/.319/.727 with 4 HR’s and 26 RBI’s. Not super flashy numbers by any means, but a consistent threat at the top of the lineup and lots of speed on the bases.

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So if the Giants were to deal Nunez to the Red Sox, what kind of haul would he bring in? Well the Giants will almost certainly look high AAA/MLB Ready prospects in return. Likely targeting outfielders and pitchers, the Red Sox dont have a whole lot in terms of MLB ready talent. Most of their outfielders such as Lorenzo Cedrola and Kyri Washington are a few years away.

Looking at the Pawtucket Red Sox roster, there were names such as Bryce Bentz whos hitting .272 with 20 HR’s and 55 RBI’s for Pawtucket and Rusney Castillo whos hitting .300 with 10 HR’s and 31 RBI’s, both of whom are not much younger than the Giants current outfielders. Bentz is 28 years old and Castillo (who once was a big name) is already 30.

So in terms of outfield prospects that are young, and almost MLB ready, the Red Sox dont have much. So if a deal for Nunez is getting done, they will likely have to go another route. The Red Sox have a lot of pitching prospects, highlighted by their #2 overall prospect Jay Groome (#34 overall). Other interesting options are #1 prospect Rafael Devers who plays 3B and is ranked 12 overall, first baseman Sam Travis, and third baseman Bobby Dalbec.

If the Giants are serious about finding major league ready talent to roam the outfield at AT&T Park next year, it would be worth asking about some of their current starting outfielders. Obviously Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi are out of the question, but Henry Schulman brought up an enticing option in Jackie Bradley Jr. He had a great year last season, breaking out for 28 home runs. A mid-to high average hitter with some pop would be a fantastic addition to an aging Giants outfield. Its probably unlikely they deal any of their starting outfielders, but hey its worth checking in on.

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The Red Sox do have some interesting pieces to include in a deal for Eduardo Nunez, but Bobby Evans and Co may need to be okay with acquiring prospects who arent all that close to being ready. There is not much there in terms of outfield prospects, but if they go a different route with pitching and infield, something could easily get done.