Downer day as Giants strike out on Giancarlo Stanton, Shohei Ohtani

The Giants’ power parlay to acquire baseball’s most prolific home run hitter as well as the game’s most enticing young international star ended Friday like a 1-2 punch to the jaw.

Hoping to land either National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton, double-threat Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani, or both, the Giants struck out on both counts despite coming tantalizingly close to acquiring both high-profile players. It was a tough blow for a team coming off a last-place, 98-loss season.

First came the reports from SiriusXM’s Craig Mish and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that Miami Marlins slugger Stanton, would not approve negotiated deals to either the Giants or St. Louis, but would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs or Houston.

That development effectively ended the Giants’ pursuit of the 28-year-old Stanton, who clubbed 59 home runs in 2017 and immensely fortified a team that was last in the major leagues in homers. The Giants later confirmed in a statement that they had regrettably concluded their pursuit of Stanton.

Then came the second gut-punch, when the 23-year-old Ohtani announced he would be signing with the Los Angeles Angels. According to The Associated Press, agent Nez Balelo said the 2016 Japanese MVP “felt a true bond with the Angels.”

The Angels will make a $20 million posting fee to the Nippon Ham Fighters and Ohtani will receive up to $2,315,000 in international bonus money. The Giants, one of the seven teams deemed finalists and the first to make a one-on-one pitch for a player who hopes to both pitch and hit as a major leaguer, could only offer $300,000. That couldn’t have helped their bid, plus Ohtani would have had to play in the field in the National League to continue as a hitter.

Ohtani was 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA this year, and was slowed by thigh and ankle injuries. He hit .332 in 65 games with eight homers and 31 RBIs. As a pitcher in Japan, he has hit 100 mph with regularity and has slugged home runs measuring roughly 500 feet as a designated hitter and part-time outfielder.

It’s difficult to say which was tougher news to take for the Giants, but Stanton really had to hurt considering they were reportedly willing to take on all or most of the $250 million he is still owed on a 13-year, $325 million contract he signed with Miami in 2014. They had an undisclosed deal in place with the Marlins to acquire the right fielder — as did the Cardinals – but the Giants were considered the favorites had it come to a choice between those two.

Stanton had considerable leverage in his future destination with the full no-trade clause, though, and after a face-to-face meeting with the player and his representatives last Friday in Los Angeles, the Giants’ wait began. As the days passed, it became more and more evident Stanton was looking elsewhere, including toward his hometown Dodgers. Stanton grew up in Sherman Oaks, a suburb in west L.A.

While there could have been some scant hope that Stanton would change his mind about San Francisco if the four teams he has approved for a possible trade couldn’t make a deal, the Giants couldn’t afford to wait an inordinate amount of time for a more favorable answer. Coming off their miserable 2017 campaign, they still have not made a significant off-season move in advance of Monday’s start to the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.

Hence, shortly after the Cardinals concluded their pursuit of Stanton with a prepared statement on mid-afternoon Friday, the Giants did likewise.

“Our agreement with the Marlins to acquire Giancarlo Stanton subject to his waiving of the no-trade clause will not move forward and it is our understanding that the Marlins and Stanton are exploring other options,” the Giants’ statement read.

If nothing else, that development clears the way for the club to enter the winter meetings with a more defined agenda: Execute Plan B. But what might that Plan B be?

Without question, they may have to move swiftly and boldly to make any significant upgrade, and it’s pretty easy to sort out their priorities, as well as the prime candidates in the wake of being turned down by Ohtani and Stanton.

First and foremost, the Giants need a power-hitting outfielder, preferably a right-handed one. After Stanton, the pick of the off-season litter is clearly J.D. Martinez, who helped assure a playoff berth for the Arizona Diamondbacks after the D-Backs acquired him from the Detroit Tigers. Martinez hit 45 homers with 104 RBIs last season between the two clubs.

Martinez, 30, figures to command a high free-agent price tag, however, and he could have numerous suitors at the winter meetings. Furthermore, it’s unclear whether the Giants would make as concerted a quest for Martinez as they did with Stanton in that he is considered an average defensive outfielder at best, and one of the Giants’ biggest issues this past season was the low quality of their outfield defense.

With that in mind, free agent center fielder Lorenzo Cain might fit the bill a lot better as the top target. The veteran Kansas City Royals standout doesn’t bring the power Stanton or Martinez would, but he is a solid all-around offensive player and a superior center fielder, where the Giants need to dramatically to upgrade. Such a move would allow them to move Denard Span to left field.

The drawback on Cain may be age. He will turn 32 in early April, although he had one of his best seasons in 2017, hitting .300 with 47 extra-base hits, including 15 home runs. The Giants would also have to surrender picks in the 2018 June amateur draft by signing Cain.

Other outfield options include free agent veteran Jay Bruce, a rare left-handed hitter who seems to enjoy batting at AT&T Park. Trade options could include longtime Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, who could be pried away in a trade considering he will be a free agent after this season, and Boston center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., Cincinnati’s Billy Hamilton could be on the trade radar as well, a light-hitting speedster who could nonetheless solve some defensive woes in center. Bradley and Hamilton do provide some youth – both are just 27.

The Giants have other problem areas to solve besides the outfield, however. Unless they plan on returning aging Pablo Sandoval to the position, they need to find a third baseman, and also hope to make improvements to their bullpen.

Free agent Todd Frazier could be a top target at third base. He could definitely ease some of the power issues, having slugged 102 home runs over the past three seasons for Cincinnati, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. On the downside, Frazier hit .225 in 2016 and just .213 last year. Another possibility could be Mike Moustakas, a free agent late of the Royals, but his glove work may be suspect.

The Giants could also look to reacquire Eduardo Nunez, who general manager Bobby Evans acquired in trade during the team’s 2015 stretch run, then traded to the Boston Red Sox last season once the Giants fell out of the race. Nunez was terrific for San Francisco last season, hitting .308 with 18 stolen bases and playing some outstanding defense at third. He was even better for the Red Sox but a severe hamstring injury ended his season in his first postseason at-bat.

It remains to be seen how the Giants might reshape their bullpen with the anticipated return of closer Mark Melancon and setup man Will Smith, but Evans has indicated the club would like to add an arm to fortify a bullpen that posted a 4.34 ERA in 2017.

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