Interesting Kyle Tucker wrinkle may give SF Giants shred of hope to land slugger

The SF Giants seem unlikely to make a big splash this offseason based on the way they have been operating. However, a wrinkle in Kyle Tucker's free agency may at least give the Giants a shred of hope to land him.

Tucker's market has reportedly been slow and there is some thinking that he could sign a shorter-term deal if he is not able to land the long-term deal he sought at the outset of this offseason.

SF Giants could still be alive in Kyle Tucker sweepstakes

The Giants seem unlikely to commit to a long-term deal in the nine-figure range, but maybe they would be more comfortable with a two or three-year deal with an opt out or two.

Unfortunately, that is the exact kind of deal the Los Angeles Dodgers would want to give Tucker so they may be waiting to see if a deal like this is in the cards. The Dodgers were reportedly receding in the Tucker sweepstakes, but they are always in on any free agent so they cannot be discounted.

If the Giants and Dodgers ended up in a bidding war for Tucker, the advantage would obviously go to LA since they are willing to pay whatever and defer money until the year 3000 while the Giants seem to be intent on nickel and dimeing their way to mediocrity.

But maybe the Giants could pop out and surprise everyone by stealing Tucker away from the more aggressive teams in free agency.

The Giants have a clear and obvious need in right field. Right now their best options are Drew Gilbert and Luis Matos which does not inspire very much confidence at all. Tucker would be a massive upgrade and would give the team more thump in the lineup even if Oracle Park can be tough on left-handed bats.

The only problem with the Giants trying to get Tucker on a short-term deal is that he would probably want to go to a more hitter-friendly park if he was trying to hit free agency again. That way he could pad his stats and hit a bunch of home runs so he could secure a long-term deal the next time he hit the market.

That is why the short-term deals for pitchers make sense for the Giants because they can get pitchers like Carlos Ródon and Blake Snell to pitch well for a year and then opt-out to get a lucrative deal elsewhere.

But if the Giants want to prove they are serious about winning, signing Tucker would give the fanbase something to get excited about and maybe getting him on a short-term deal is a more likely outcome.