The entire sporting world is still buzzing about the San Francisco Giants’ acquisition of Rafael Devers. What do they have in store for an encore?
In his first year as president of baseball operations, former Giants All-Star catcher Buster Posey pulled off the blockbuster of the decade. Devers, who went 2-for-5 in his Giants debut, gives the San Francisco lineup a much more threatening overall outlook.
However, in terms of pure firepower, the Giants still trail the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers by a decent margin. Some may even prefer the San Diego Padres’ lineup. Landing one more big bat would be a major boost to San Francisco’s pennant odds.
According to one baseball insider, that big bat could come from yet another National League West rival.
On Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com named Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor on a list of “prime trade candidates,” with the Giants as one of the top prospective landing spots.
“Arizona has climbed back into the playoff race with a good start to June, leaving the Diamondbacks in striking distance of a Wild Card spot and still in the conversation in the NL West,” wrote Feinsand.
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“But Naylor is one of more than a half-dozen impending free agents on the roster, and given that a number of teams could use a big corner-infield bat, it’s possible that Arizona could move Naylor (or Eugenio Suárez) and his expiring contract to address other needs. Potential fits: Giants, Mariners, Rangers, Red Sox.”
Naylor, who turns 28 this weekend, is batting .302 with an .830 OPS in 70 games for the D-backs this year. He’ll be a free agent this winter after making $10.9 million in his final year of arbitration.
Dominic Smith has been good for the Giants so far, but Naylor is a different caliber of player. He was an All-Star last year, and paired with Devers in the first base/designated hitter role, he might be able to catapult the offense to the next level.
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