The San Francisco Giants have been linked to a few players this offseason, but most haven't been of the expensive variety.
Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, and most other top free agents haven't been seriously linked to the Giants this winter. But with an open second base spot, the trade market has been an area of interest for the Giants.
Previously, the Giants emerged as a frontrunner for St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan. But weeks after that report, trade talks have stalled. Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic revealed why those talks came to a halt.
Why Giants-Cardinals Brendan Donovan trade talks stalled
"Traction with Donovan appeared to be building shortly after the Winter Meetings," Woo and Sammon write, "with the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants emerging as front-runners. However, negotiations stalled as the Contreras trade began to take shape."
The reason why the Giants' trade negotiations with the Cardinals for Donovan, an All-Star second baseman, ground to a halt was due to the Boston Red Sox making a trade offer for Wilson Contreras.
Boston wound up getting Contreras in a deal with the Cardinals, the second trade the two sides have made this offseason, with Sonny Gray also heading from St. Louis to Boston.
But, with the Red Sox also in the market for a second baseman, the trade talks between the Giants and the Cardinals began to slow down with a third team in the mix.
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While the Mariners and Giants were initially contending for Donovan, the Red Sox came into the fray, giving Chaim Bloom an extra team to drive the price up with, and trade talks stalled.
Those trade talks only began to stall thanks to the Red Sox negotiating a trade for Contreras to be their new first baseman.
Currently, the Gold Glove, All-Star infielder is not close to being traded. Despite the Giants being frontrunners not long ago, talks have stalled, and a deal is unknown.
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