San Francisco Giants Mailbag: Zobrist, Left Field, Starting Rotation

Jul 29, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist (18) hits a RBI single during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Bialaszek: What kind of package would you put together for Zobrist?

This is an extremely tough question, mostly because the trade rumors involving the Giants and Ben Zobrist haven’t revealed much information about who the Giants would give up in this potential trade. There hasn’t been an official report on which players would potentially be involved, but there has been speculation that the Tampa Bay Rays could ask the Giants for top prospect Kyle Crick and Giants’ current backup catcher Andrew Susac in a trade for Zobrist.

More from Golden Gate Sports

• Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
• 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
• Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
• 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
• 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

I’ll first address that scenario. I love the idea of Zobrist being on the Giants because of his versatility and experience, however I would not want the Giants to give up both Crick and Susac for him. Zobrist would add depth to this Giants team, but giving up a top starting pitching prospect and a valuable backup catcher with lots of promise would hurt.

It would be hard enough to trade away the Giants’ only real top starting pitching prospect, but trading away Susac could really hurt the Giants, now and in the future. Without Susac, the Giants would have to plug in Hector Sanchez at backup catcher, which wouldn’t be ideal. Susac could also be the Giants’ future catcher, if the Giants eventually decide to move Buster Posey to first or third base permanently.

The Rays will want top prospects and Major League-ready talent if they are to give up Zobrist, who’s a key part of their team. If Crick and Susac aren’t involved in this potential trade, who else on the Giants might be? That’s harder to answer, but here are some ideas.

The Giants could also potentially package a deal involving players such as Hunter Strickland, Matt Duffy, Erik Cordier, or Adam Duvall. I’m not saying that a deal would include all of these players, but these are simply some players that the Rays might be interested in.

If the Zobrist trade rumors persist, we’ll see which players the Giants are willing to give up and how strongly they desire Zobrist’s services.

Next: Would Ben Zobrist be a good fit for the Giants?