SF Giants only have one route to add an ace to the starting rotation

With the SF Giants reportedly being unwilling to sign a free agent starting pitcher to a long-term deal, the only way the team may be able to land a high quality starting pitcher is via trade which is a route that the team should explore.

While fans were getting excited about the possibility that the Giants could potentially sign someone like Tatsuya Imai, especially after his comments about the Los Angeles Dodgers, reporting suggests that the Giants are not seriously involved in talks for him since he is likely to command a multi-year contract in the nine-figure range.

SF Giants must pivot to trade talks to land a big starter

It just seems that there is an organizational reluctance, stemming largely from chairman Greg Johnson, to take a risk on a big contract for a starter. The Giants have been burned by contracts like that in the past so it is understandable, but at the same time the team is going to have to take risks to try to compete with the Dodgers.

Now, president of baseball operations Buster Posey is going to have to get creative if he wants to land a starter who can take San Francisco's rotation to the next level.

One of the top names being floated in trade talks is Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins may be looking to cut payroll and even though Ryan does not make a ton of money, he may still be traded away. A San Francisco native coming off an All-Star campaign, he would look very good in a Giants uniform.

However, Ryan has already drawn interest from the New York Mets and there are plenty of other teams who would love to land him.

Other names who have been floated in trade talks are Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds and Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers. Both are aces coming off All-Star years as well so they are not going to come cheap.

The nice thing about landing any of these pitchers is that they are not on high-priced deals which Greg Johnson must love, but the Giants would have to part with some decent prospects in order to land any of them.

Teams would likely ask for San Francisco's top prospect Bryce Eldridge in a deal for any of these pitchers, but that may very well be a non-starter for the Giants. Perhaps they would have to part with players on their big league roster like Heliot Ramos or Patrick Bailey if they really wanted to get something done.

It is not an ideal situation for the Giants to have a major avenue closed off as they likely won't pursue an elite starting pitcher in free agency. But with that route closed off, they can turn their attention to the trade market and try to make a deal.