Let's throw all the names into one big bingo cage, roll the tumbler, and see who pops out. Don't even try to figure out which rumors are serious or not.
Victor Martinez, Indians. He doesn't have monstrous power, so he might lose a few home runs to Mays Field's dimensions, but some of his 35 to 40 doubles a year could turn into triples. His salary is reasonable ($7.5 M club option if he's traded). He's got a great eye. He can play catcher and first base, which gives the Giants flexibility for 2010 if Buster Posey isn't ready. The Giants probably have to offer a package including at least one of the Big Four prospects (Bumgarner, Alderson, Villalona, Posey) to get Martinez.
Ryan Garko, Indians. He's tried the outfield but looks mainly like a platoon first baseman. Crushes left-handed pitching, though note it's in 428 PAs over four years. After this season he's got three arb years before free agency. Should be available for prospects other than the Big Four.
Josh Willingham, Nationals. Breakout year -- nearly 1.000 OPS! -- brings up two questions: Is it a fluke, and if not, how much does his subpar OF defense bring down his worth? Re. fluke: BABIP of .323 is high but not outrageous. He's always been a good on-base guy (career .367). He probably won't hit .291 / .407 / .565 the rest of the year, but nothing suggests he'll crash back to earth. He's making $3 M this year with more to come in arb next year (and 2011, I think); perhaps the Nats will take lesser prospects. Re. defense: Definitely not good. He's on track to cost the Nats four runs this year, according to UZR. But put hitting and fielding together, and Willingham is worth about four wins more than the average schmoe. (For comparison: Randy Winn was worth 4.5 last year, on track for ~3 this year.)
Nick Johnson, Nats: Great hitter, fragile body. Hits lefty, which the Giants don't need, except Johnson is better against lefties, extremely so this year. Will be a free agent.
Freddy Sanchez, Pirates: He can be good with the bat, but he can also be very bad. His worst year was far worse than what Juan Uribe is doing right now. And that was last year. His D is a plus, but adding him feels so....incremental. The Pirates will want high-value prospects in return, for no other reason than to save face with the angry fans, but Sanchez isn't the guy for whom you cash in your chips.
Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays: Hmm. Intriguing, but don't buy high on this guy. He's dramatically improved his on-base this year (.383) over career numbers (.334) to have a career year. Be fully prepared for reality to return. Plus, he's played SS all year with Toronto: Would the Giants move Renteria? (Ha.) Would Scutaro make a seamless shift to 2B? He's good insurance if Renteria stays injured/bad, and I won't cry for Kevin Frandsen if Scutaro became the starting 2B, but as with Sanchez I wouldn't give up too much for him.
Aubrey Huff, Orioles: Blech. How's this for a swing? In 2008 he was worth $19 million, according to Fangraphs. This year, he's worth -$2 M. Negative. A $21 M shift in value.
Scott Rolen, Blue Jays: If one could magically guarantee his health, Rolen would be my secret pick for a mid-season trade. He can still pick it on D, and his .372 OBP / .477 SLG is better than any non-Panda on the Giants. He's on pace to contribute ~5 wins to his team, a nice sum. (A win is worth $4.5 M these days, so a 5-win player theoretically is worth more than $22 M a year.) Other than health/age, the main issue is price. He makes $11 M this year and next, plus a $4 M bonus. But look at it this way: the more of his salary the Jays can dump, the less they'll ask for in the way of prospects.
Plan A: Try to pry Martinez away for a package of Alderson or Villalona (not both) and others. Grab Scutaro for infield depth.
Plan B: Get medical clearance on Rolen, take on his salary and send the thankful Blue Jays a token prospect or two. See if the Marlins Nats will take John Bowker or Fred Lewis plus a mid-level prospect for Josh Willingham.
Plan C: Grab Garko for the bench.
