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Marcell Ozuna fit the Giants perfectly. He was a young lower-cost right-handed power source who would immediately and greatly improve the outfield defense. He was a better fit than Giancarlo Stanton in some ways, and it would have been a lineup-altering trade. Never forget, though: The better the fit, the less likely it is that the Giants are going to get that player. The Cardinals were the winners of this particular sweepstakes, acquiring Ozuna for prospects and players the Giants couldn’t match.
If the Giants really want an outfielder associated with the Marlins, maybe Ichiro Suzuki is more their speed.
The organization’s attention will likely focus on Christian Yelich, who is apparently available:
Sources: Now that Marcell Ozuna has been dealt to St. Louis, Christian Yelich is in play. Marlins are telling teams they’ll trade him, though price will be even higher than Ozuna, with Yelich under control for up to five years at $58.25 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2017
I regret to inform you that the Giants aren’t getting him, either. Consider that Yelich is a left-handed hitter with moderate power, the exact type of hitter that doesn’t adjust to AT&T Park that well. That makes him less than a perfect fit, even if his age and contract would appeal to them. Then add in the realization that if they couldn’t match a trade package for Ozuna, they really won’t be able to match one for Yelich.
(Edit: Bobby Evans just said on Facebook Live that the Marlins aren’t shopping Yelich right now.)
Really, Cody Ross was enough Marlins outfielder for a lifetime, and we shouldn’t complain. This is fine. This is all fine.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Cardinals have extra outfielders, and there might be a fit for the Giants there. We’ve already looked at how the two teams match up, and I’m still of the opinion that Jose Martinez would be a fine fit. A Tyler O’Neill trade could help make up for the Adam Duvall mess, too. Trading for one of the Cardinals’ young outfielders would certainly fit with my suggestion that the Giants need to look for the next Domingo Santana. They would just really, really, really have to trust their evaluations about that outfielder.
Of course, this means you should get used to the ideal of Randal Grichuk in left field. He’s like Pedro Feliz, but more so!
What we know now, though, is that the Giants missed out on another Marlins outfielder, and they’re probably going to miss on the last one, too. This was to be expected. That doesn’t mean it’s not at least a little annoying, though.