MLB Rumors: Tyler Glasnow trade favorites, Red Sox dream move, Giants Plan B

MLB Rumors: Giants trade idea if San Francisco strikes out in free agency again

Free agency has been none too kind to the San Francisco Giants of late. Last offseason alone, the Giants, despite trying to be aggressive, came up empty handed with their top targets. Aaron Judge was offered the world, but really only used that as leverage to come back to the Yankees. Carlos Correa, meanwhile, was a complete debacle that multiple teams, including the Giants, were burned by.

But that's not stopping Farhan Zaidi from trying again in the 2023-24 offseason. All indications leading up to the Winter Meetings coming at the start of December have been that the Giants will once again try to make a splash in free agency. Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and virtually every big name on the open market have been connected to San Francisco already.

However, if the Giants were to whiff again on the free agent market, perhaps they can still make a splash.

Discussing starting pitchers who could be traded this offseason, Jordan Shusterman of FOX Sports called the Giants one of the best fits for a Shane Bieber trade. The Guardians' M.O. has been for some time that they cut ties before a player gets too expensive. Bieber is in the final year of club control with Cleveland, and with a young, talented staff with him already, he could be shipped off. And the Giants would make sense.

"They don't have an ultra-deep farm to deal from, but I could see the Giants pursuing Bieber as an excellent alternative in the unfortunate scenario that they once again whiff at the top of the free-agent market," Shusterman wrote.

While the lack of a deep farm system might keep the Giants out of the market for guys like Glasnow, Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes or other top trade candidates, a one-year contract like Bieber could come cheaper, which might play right into San Francisco and Zaidi's hands.