This isn’t good news for the National League’s worst offense.
According to both ESPN Deportes and FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the Giants are talking to Alex Gonzalez about becoming their new shortstop.
Gonzalez, who turns 35 in February, hit .241/.270/.372 with 15 homers, 56 RBI and a dreadful 126/22 K/BB ratio in 564 at-bats for the Braves last season. He remains an above average defender, with sure hands and excellent footwork making up for a lack of elite range. However, his history of dreadful OBPs weighs on his value, and the Giants last year finished last in the NL in both OBP and runs scored.
With Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins in free agency, there are a pair of shortstops available capable of providing a genuine lift to the San Francisco offense. The Giants, though, don’t seem prepared to spend what it would take to secure either. For that reason, they could conceivably again finish second in the majors in ERA and miss the postseason next year.
