Could Ian Kinsler be an Option at Third for the San Francisco Giants?

If Ian Kinsler is willing to make the move to third base, that opens up the possibility of the San Francisco Giants seeking him in a trade.

Katie Strang of The Athletic recently wrote an article talking about the possibility of Kinsler moving to third next season.

Kinsler is in the last year of his contract, and the Detroit Tigers would love to move him as they look to rebuild.

According to Baseball Reference, Kinsler has made one appearance at third base in his major league career, back in 2012.

No one can say how great the 35-year-old would be at third base, or if he’d even be willing to make the move, but it does open up some possibilities.

He’s only owed $11 million next year, and the Tigers would probably have to eat some of that money in any trade.

The one downside is that Kinsler is coming off one of his worst seasons. He hit just .236 in 551 at-bats with a .313 on-base-percentage in 2017. That’s well below his career averages of .273 and .342.

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However, he did still manage to hit 22 home runs, score 90 runs and steal 14 bases. The Giants could definitely use a 20-plus home run bat in their lineup.

Much like we talked about with Eduardo Nunez, trading Kinsler would open up the opportunity to move Joe Panik in a trade for Giancarlo Stanton or another big target.

Either way, I think trading for Kinsler could be a good idea. And if not, you’re only stuck with him for the 2018 season. And if the team ends up not being a contender in 2018, and Kinsler has a good first half, he can be flipped at the deadline for a solid prospect.

There are just a lot of good scenarios that open up for the Giants if Kinsler is willing to play third base.

Next: San Francisco Giants: A Case for Eduardo Nunez

I certainly think it’s something the front office should look into this offseason and keep an eye on.