San Francisco Giants Mailbag: Zobrist, Left Field, Starting Rotation
Oct 14, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Gregor Blanco (7) makes a sliding catch against the San Francisco Giants in game three of the 2014 NLCS playoff baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Marc Grandi: Who will starting in left field on Opening Day?
This question is also hard to answer, given the uncertainty surrounding a potential deal for Zobrist. If the Giants find a way to acquire Zobrist, then he will be their Opening Day left fielder. In that scenario, Zobrist will be the everyday left fielder, and Gregor Blanco will be the fourth outfielder, a role in which he excels at. He will earn spot starts, he will act as a late-inning defensive replacement, he will be a pinch hitter, and he could also provide the Giants with another capable starting center fielder, which is valuable given Angel Pagan‘s injuries the past couple seasons.
If the Giants don’t acquire Zobrist, I think Blanco will end up being the Opening Day left fielder. I don’t think the Giants will be able to acquire a starting left fielder this offseason (if they don’t trade for Zobrist), given their current financial restrictions and the available left fielders on the market.
There have been rumors, or mostly ideas brought up by fans, about the Giants trying to acquire first baseman/outfielder Allen Craig, outfielder Colby Rasmus, or outfielder Andre Ethier (who would be a great fit for the Giants but will never be a Giant, since the Dodgers wouldn’t dare trade a valuable asset to their rival), in order to address the left field situation.
Craig and Rasmus are two left fielders that the Giants could certainly look at, but I don’t see any of these “deals” happening. Brian Sabean has been able to pull off some creative deals in the past though, so never say never.