The San Francisco Giants have been rumored to be in on two of the biggest stars available this offseason, but the ballclub reportedly has a primary target.
The Giants appear to be one of the frontrunners to acquire Giancarlo Stanton, who has been shopped by the Miami Marlins throughout the offseason. However, the 28-year-old slugger apparently is taking a backseat to one of the most highly coveted international free agents in recent memory.
Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani will be making his way to Major League Baseball this winter, and San Francisco reportedly is on his short list of preferred teams. Ohtani allegedly prefers the West Coast and is turned off by massive markets, which makes sense of the Giants’ candidacy.
And while San Francisco reportedly already has a trade in place for Stanton, the team is making an even stronger effort to bring in Ohtani.
“They really want Ohtani. They want Ohtani bad,” Damon Bruce said Tuesday during his radio show on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco. “They want Ohtani more than they want Stanton and if you look at the reality of the price that would have to be paid for Stanton, you can understand why easily — easily.”
Stanton definitely would not come cheap. Miami, of course, is in position to demand a sizeable trade return for the power-hitting outfielder, who still has 10 years and $295 million remaining on his contract. While Ohtani also will be tough to acquire, the Giants wouldn’t have to part with any top prospects in order to obtain him.
San Francisco will need all the star power it can get to help overtake the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, and acquiring Ohtani and/or Stanton would be a major step in the right direction.
