SAN FRANCISCO -- The slow second base market appears to finally be heating up, and the Giants could be right in the middle of it.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday morning that the Giants are talking to teams about their second baseman, Joe Panik, and a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area that former Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu would be the target if the Giants are to open playing time alongside Brandon Crawford.
The Giants have had interest in LeMahieu all winter, but did not have an opening after they re-signed Panik to a one-year deal in November. Passan and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal also reported that the Giants are one of the teams in on LeMahieu.
The 30-year-old is a three-time Gold Glove winner and former batting champ who stands as the best option in a second base market that was slow to develop. LeMahieu hit .276 last season with 15 homers and 32 doubles. His OPS dropped nearly 100 points away from Coors Field, but the Giants could use some right-handed balance to their lineup.
Panik, 28, is coming off the worst season of his career but is hopeful that some offseason adjustments can get him back to his old form. The Giants were happy to bring him back through the arbitration process, but also realized that second base was one of the few spots where they could make substantial changes.
Through this point, it has been a quiet offseason for the Giants. They have committed just $585,000 to free agents after the addition of switch-pitcher Pat Venditte.