Schulman On The Giants

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle gives us a look at what the Giants’ offseason plans look like right now.

• For one, they’d like to upgrade at shortstop. However, the Giants’ current pursuit of Rafael Furcal would be "impacted," says Schulman, by any deal that sends Jake Peavy to Atlanta. It’s expected the Braves would get in on the bidding for Furcal if Peavy were acquired. By "impacted," I’m going to assume this means the Giants would be much less interested in the free agent shortstop.
• Second, they need an impact bat for the middle of the order. There seems to be "some dialog" between the Giants and Brewers regarding Prince Fielder and J.J. Hardy. However, Schulman notes that teams across the league, the Brewers included, are hesitant to give up everyday players in exchange for anything but top-tier pitching.
• As for pitching, the Giants are keeping an eye on Japanese starting pitcher Kenshin Kawakami, and will give Keiichi Yabu another shot at a spot in the bullpen this spring.