Hunter Pence having hamstring surgery, out 8 weeks

The Giants are talking trade possibilities, but there aren't a whole lot that seem realistic.

By Grant Brisbee@GrantBrisbee Jun 3, 2016, 3:55pm PDT

Hunter Pence went on the disabled list after injuring his hamstring during Wednesday's game, and his MRI on Thursday wasn't especially encouraging. On Friday, our fears were confirmed. Pence completely tore his right hamstring, and he will have surgery to repair it.

The recovery time is estimated at eight weeks, though as Andrew Baggarly noted, it took Angel Pagan nine weeks last year.

While the Giants are already exploring trade options, they're caught between a short-term need and long-term roster concern. Trading the farm for a starter like Josh Reddick (if healthy) would help for June and July, but it would leave the Giants with an overstuffed roster when Pence returns. A happy problem, to be sure, but an odd allocation of resources.

So if the Giants are looking short term, they'll likely have to get creative.

I could see Jeff Francoeur hitting, like, .320 for a few months in SF, because that's the sort of thing that happens there...
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) June 3, 2016

That is not creative! That is a reboot of a movie franchise that flopped! That's a Hollywood producer wondering "I wonder if there's a way to do another Car 54, Where Are You? movie, but absolutely nail it this time?"

But, yes, a Francoeur-level player would make sense. That is, a player who doesn't have a huge role on a bad team, who clearly isn't a part of the rebuilding process. Jon Jay or Melvin Upton make a fair amount of sense, as they're hovering in the asteroid belt between no-doubt starter and fourth outfielder. The Giants might be thinking smaller, like Khris Davis or Kirk Nieuwenhuis. The Reds probably want to hang onto that Adam Duvall kid, but it's possible the Rays could entertain offers for the productive-if-unspectacular Brandon Guyer, who is eligible for arbitration after this year.

Otherwise, there aren't a ton of outfielders who might be available from bad teams. Here, look for yourself. There won't be a supply of them until more teams fall out of the race, but those decisions probably won't be made until a couple weeks before the deadline. And, considering the deadline is roughly when Pence is expected back, matching up with a late entrant isn't something the Giants should really consider.

Power rankings, roughly:

Carlos Beltran
Brandon Guyer
Melvin Upton
Jon Jay
Desmond Jennings? Maybe he's free?
Michael Morse, whatever, screw it
Travis Ishikawa
Jeffrey Leonard
Bobby Evans in a mask
Jeff Francoeur

The probable solution? Mac Williamson or Jarrett Parker, with a side of Kelby Tomlinson. Unless there's a player up there who really spins your pinwheel, there's no sense paying a premium for a two-month fill-in. The Giants are feeling the same way, I'm guessing.

We'll be without Hunter Pence for at least eight weeks, apparently. That's a darned shame. We'll need to stay strong in the face of this crisis. We'll need to stay strong. Don't freak out.