The Giants have already added third baseman Evan Longoria to the fold this offseason, and now they may be looking to make another notable addition via trade. MLB.com's Jon Morosi reports that San Francisco is in talks with the Reds regarding center fielder Billy Hamilton, whom the Reds indeed have interest in moving this winter. Morosi's story also includes the Giants prospect whom Cincinnati may be targeting in such a swap.
As for Hamilton, age 27, he's coming off a 2017 season in which he batted .247/.299/.335 (66 OPS+) with 59 stolen bases. For his career, he owns an OPS+ of 71 across parts of five big-league seasons.
Hamilton's obviously not much of a hitter, but his elite base-running (243 steals at an 82 percent success rate, extra base take 61 percent of the time) in tandem with his excellent defense in center field make him a useful contributory. That latter quality would certainly be valuable in the spacious AT&T Park outfield.
Hamilton is arbitration-eligible this offseason and won't become a free agent until after the 2019 season.
Right now, the Giants are likely poised to open the 2018 season with Steven Duggar as the primary center fielder, so Hamilton's position is an obvious area of need.
