Still sorting through all the options
Pursuit of outfielder includes buzz about Martinez, Hamilton, Ozuna and Yelich
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. >> Answers, like deals, come slowly at these Winter Meetings. Words are measured. Voices halt. Caution rules.
So when Bobby Evans was asked Tuesday evening whether the Giants would meet with free agent J.D. Martinez, the biggest power-hitting prize still on the market, there was a loooong pause.
“Maybe,’’ Evans finally said. The Giants general manager explained that rules prevent him from expressing interest (or lack thereof) in free agents and said MLB is coming down increasingly hard on violators.
So manager Bruce Bochy, too, issued a caveat earlier in the day when answering a question about Billy Hamilton. A reporter noted that Hamilton is garnering lots of interest at the Winter Meetings and asked about the ways in which the Cincinnati Reds speedster can change the game.
“Well, it’s hard for me to talk about a player that’s not mine,’’ Bochy replied.
Instead, the manager talked in general terms, and there was plenty of praise:
“There are few players in the game like Billy Hamilton. I mean, it’s disruptive speed. He’s one of those guys they know is probably going to go, and he still has a good chance of stealing a base. In honor of breast cancer awareness, Billy Hamilton of the Cincinnati Reds wears wears pink shoes and socks and carries a pink bat against the