It’s pretty clear as to what the Giants’ needs are in the trade market. They need a big time hitter to start in RF and they could use back end of the bullpen help. I think the Giants are going to go hard after Corey Hart, Hunter Pence and Michael Cuddyer. They really need another thumper for the middle of the batting order and all three of those guys qualify. The Giants are also looking to deal for a closer with Chris Perez of the Indians topping their list. He is going to be a hard guy to get. If they miss out on Perez, look for them to turn to Jonathan Broxton, Brandon League or Rafael Betancourt. I look for the Giants to be very, very aggressive in the days leading up to the trade deadline.

The San Francisco Giants are tied with the Dodgers on top of the N.L. West with a 40-33 record. They have done it without scoring a lot of runs. They need to go out an add a power hitting corner outfielder to play RF. Josh Willingham, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Quentin, Michael Cuddyer and Will Venable are the most likely targets for the Giants. I would narrow it down to Cuddyer or Quentin as they can both handle RF defensively. If the Giants get a big bat for RF, they are going to win the N.L. West. They could also use an upgrade at SS, but not very many of them are available on the trade market right now.

The San Francisco Giants just couldn’t hit at all last year and it ruined a outstanding effort from the pitching staff. Here is a trio of free agents that would really help boost the Giants’ offense in 2012:

1. Jimmy Rollins - The Giants could use a legit leadoff hitter. Getting one like Rollins that fills a Black Hole at shortstop would be outstanding!

2. Ryan Ludwick - Righty swinging LF/RF Ryan Ludwick showed off impressive power numbers despite playing for the Padres for quite a while last year. He would give the Giants a solid right-handed power stick for the middle of the batting order in 2012.

3. Ramon Castro - When Buster Posey went down for the season due to injury, the Giants turned to Eli Whiteside….who can’t hit. Ramon Castro has a ton of power in his bat.

The San Francisco Giants are going to be aiming really high in the trade market this week. They want a big time offensive player for the outfield with Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano, Hunter Pence and B.J. Upton. None of those guys are going to come cheaply but the Giants are willing to move pretty good prospects to get one of them. There isn’t much available on the trade market at catcher and shortstop but I could see the Giants making offers to the Royals for Mike Aviles (2B,SS and 3B) and to the Cubs for catcher Geovany Soto. It will be interesting to see what the Giants do because they need more hitting if they want to repeat as World Series Champions in 2011.

The San Francisco Giants just need to make some minor trades this month to prop up the team. First off, I think a call should be made to the San Diego Padres about 2B Orlando Hudson. I think the Padres would me more than happy to take lefty reliever Dan Runzler off the Giants’ hands for Hudson. I think the Giants should also make a play for infielder Jeff Keppinger. I think the Astros would accept an offer of rookies Cole Gillaspie (3B) and Darren Ford (OF) for him. Finally, and most importantly, a call should be placed to the Mets concerning catcher Ronny Paulino. An offer of 2B/SS Emmanuel Burris would probably be all it would take for the Giants to acquire catcher Ronny Paulino from the Mets. Adding Hudson, Keppinger and Paulino would give the Giants’ just enough spice to hold off the Rockies and Diamondbacks in the N.L. West.

The Giants really need to deal for a legit catcher. They are desperate, so the asking price is going to be too high for some guys. The Giants will likely be aiming for guys like Geovany Soto, Rod Barajas and Nick Hundley. If they fail to land one of them, look for them to go for cheaper options like Ivan Rodriguez, Taylor Teagarden or Jesus Flores. The Giants are winning despite the catching as Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart are just hitting a tad better than the Giants’ pitchers. It’s hard to overcome two black holes in the same batting order, so the Giants either need to make a deal or a phone call to Bengie Molina.

The Giants have eight free agents heading into this winter and this is how I see the decisions going down:

Aubrey Huff: 33-year old lefty swinging 1B Aubrey Huff played in 157 games for the Giants last season and he was 165 of 569 (.290 avg, .891 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 26 homers, 86 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. VERDICT: The Giants want Huff back and I think they will give him a nice raise and re-sign him.

Juan Uribe: 31-year old righty swinging SS/3B Juan Uribe seemed to almost always get the key hit for the Giants this year. He played in 148 games for the Giants last season and he was 129 of 521 (.248 avg, .749 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 24 homers and 85 RBIs. VERDICT: I think the Giants will try to bring him back on another 1-year deal.

Pat Burrell: 34-year old righty swinging LF Pat Burrell played in 96 games for the Giants last season and he was 77 of 289 (.266 avg, .872 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 18 homers and 51 RBIs. Burrell played in 120 games for the Rays & Giants this year and he was 94 of 373 (.252 avg, .817 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 20 homers and 64 RBIs. VERDICT: I think the Giants might bring back Burrell for 2011 but only if the price is right.

Edgar Renteria: 34-year old righty swinging shortstop played in 72 games for the Giants last season and he was 67 of 243 (.276 avg, .707 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 3 homers, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Giants hold a $10.5 million dollar club option for 2011 with a buy out of $500K. VERDICT: I see the Giants buying out Renteria and I think he’s going to leave to try more P.T. in 2011.

Jose Guillen: 34-year old righty swinging RF Jose Guillen played in 42 games for the Giants and he was 34 of 128 (.266 avg, .692 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 15 RBIs. He played in 148 games for the Giants & Royals last season and he was 135 of 524 (.258 avg, .730 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 19 homers and 77 RBIs. VERDICT: Guillen could get a 50-game suspension by Major League Baseball in 2011 for getting shipments of HGH. The Giants won’t be bringing him back even if he’s willing to come to spring training on a minor league deal.

Jeremy Affeldt: 31-year old lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt pitched in 53 games (0 starts) for the Giants last season and he was 4-3 with 4 saves, a 4.14 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. VERDICT: I see the Giants letting him go as they look solid from the left side of the pen in 2011 with Dan Runzler & Javier Lopez.

Guillermo Mota: 37-year old righty reliever Guillermo Mota pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Giants last year and he was 1-3 with 1 save, a 4.33 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. VERDICT: I see the Giants letting him go.

Dontrelle Willis: 28-year old lefty starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis pitched in 15 games (13 starts) with the D-Backs & Tigers last season and he was 2-3 with a 5.62 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP. VERDICT: With no room in the starting rotation the Giants shouldn’t mess with the former D-Train.

I don’t think the Giants need to make huge changes heading into the trade deadline. But I would make three small deals that would help them in the last couple of months of the season. First off I would offer 28-year old switch hitting IF/OF Eugenio Velez and 26-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF John Bowker to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Austin Kearns. I would then offer 26-year old outfielder Nate Schierholtz and 26-year old infielder Matt Downs to the A’s for Jack Cust. Kearns can play some CF and you could always platoon Kearns and Cust in RF which I would think would be a productive pairing. Finally I would offer 27-year old righty starter/reliever Joe Martinez to the Orioles for lefty reliever Mark Hendrickson. Adding Kearns, Cust and Hendrickson might not sound too sexy but they would make the Giants a better team.

The Giants are 42-40 on the season which has them in 4th place in the N.L. West, 7 games behind the Padres. The Giants are wasting too much good pitching and they can get on a roll with the addition of a big bat for either RF or 1B. Jose Bautista, Luke Scott, Jose Guillen, Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross, Corey Hart, Prince Fielder, Derek Lee, Lance Berkman and Adam LaRoche are the players who make the most sense. If the Giants get one of these players they will make the playoffs…….mark my words.

With the Giants being at fully near strength with the return of Freddy Sanchez and Edgar Renteria I think they should make a move for a RF. Luke Scott (Orioles), Austin Kearns (Indians) and David DeJesus (Royals) will likely all be available at the trade deadline or before. Of those three I think that Luke Scott would cost you the most but he is probably the best player. I think the Royals would jump at the chance to get someone like Sergio Romo from the Giants. But in the end, Austin Kearns would be the cheapest route in terms of what the Giants would have to give up to get him. With that in mind I would trade with the Indians who would likely be willing to take Eugenio Velez and Ryan Rohlinger for him.