San Francisco Giants: Could Nick Castellanos be on his way to the Bay Area?

The San Francisco Giants could be in the market to acquire a right-handed bat as they’ve reportedly shown interest in corner outfielder Nick Castellanos.

The San Francisco Giants have been relatively quiet to start the 2019 offseason, at least when it comes to making acquisitions.

In fact, the only so-called addition that the Giants have made came in the form of former Colorado Rockies starter Tyler Anderson who was claimed off waivers in October and later re-signed once he elected free agency.

Other than that, San Francisco might as well be renamed “Subtraction City.”

The Giants have already seen All-Star closer Will Smith depart via free agency to sign with the Atlanta Braves and beloved backup catcher Stephen Vogt left to join the Arizona Diamondbacks.

And even without external forces at play, the Giants made the internal decision to move on from fan-favorite outfielder, and 2019 Willie Mac Award recipient, Kevin Pillar by non-tendering his contract.

Farhan Zaidi and crew continue to remake and reshape the Giants roster and it seems inevitable at this point that legendary pitcher Madison Bumgarner will soon join the list of now ex-Giants to leave in the offseason.

But every departure must be filled with a new acquisition and even though the Giants aren’t likely to go all out this offseason, they still could look to make a bigger move or two — preferably one that could help them in the future just as much as the present.

That’s where a player like Nick Castellanos could come in.

The former Detroit Tigers slugger was shipped to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline this past year and put together another spectacular season. Castellanos finished with a .337/.525/.863 slash line split between Detroit and Chicago while totaling 27 home runs and 73 RBI.

And the Giants reportedly have interest in acquiring Castellanos, per a recent report from MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. Making a move for Castellanos would not only be a huge addition to their lineup, but it would help to appease a large portion of the fanbase currently upset with the team’s moves thus far.

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The Giants have no shortage of left-handed bats in their lineup, more specifically in their outfield. Castellanos could help fill the void of Pillar’s departure and be an instant upgrade while still serving as a much-needed right-handed bat.

While Castellanos is significantly better than Pillar at the plate, he certainly won’t be able to match his defensive production as the 27-year-old finished with a league-worst -9 Defensive Runs Saved playing right field last season.

And he certainly isn’t going to be playing center field anytime soon.

There is also a concern about the stadium he would be playing in. Castellanos voiced his displeasure about playing in Comerica Park which was one of the driving forces behind his midseason ship to Chicago.

Oracle Park is notorious for being one of the least hitter-friendly parks in the MLB and even with the Giants moving in the fences, one has to think that this could play a factor in his decision.

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Per Jon Heyman, the Arizona Diamondbacks also have interest in Nick Castellanos and present the former third baseman with a much more desirable Chase Field. If that’s the deciding factor, there’s no chance that Castellanos would pick San Francisco.

But if the Giants could find a way to land Castellanos in free agency there’s no question that he would be a huge get for a lineup desperately needing a boost. And at just 27-years-old, this wouldn’t exactly be a win-now move either.

Sign him to a four or five-year contract and have him play in a San Francisco Giants’ uniform throughout his prime. This is one of the few big moves that Zaidi might consider making this offseason and it absolutely makes sense.

And with the Winter Meetings in full swing, we’ll see if any news breaks regarding Nick Castellanos and his ultimate destination.