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Report: Giants 'ready to act' if Rays decide to trade Ben Zobrist

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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The San Francisco Giants, fresh off their acquisition of starting pitcher Jake Peavy, and reeling after a sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have passed the Giants for top spot in the National League West, are reportedly "ready to act" if the Tampa Bay Rays decide to trade Ben Zobrist, tweets Fox Sports' Jon Morosi. 

"Multiple teams" are awaiting word from the Rays, according to Morosi, who singled out the Giants, and who added the following: 

Zobrist, 33, is hitting .268/.458/.409 in 91 games, with eight home runs and 29 RBIs, and putting together another quality season, having already accumulated 3.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs. 

Zobrist can play all over the field, is a plus defender, and is earning $7 million this season. He has a $7.5-million club option for 2015, which comes with a $500,000 buyout. 

The Giants need him at second base. It's gotten so bleak in San Francisco that Dan Uggla started over the weekend against the Dodgers. Giants second basemen went into Sunday night's game with a .542 OPS, which ranks 29th in baseball and 14th in the National League. Only San Diego Padres second basemen have been worse. 

What was once a 9 1/2-game lead in the NL West for the Giants has become a 1 1/2-game deficit, thanks to a 10-16 June and an 11-12 July. But the Peavy acquisition proved the Giants are serious about contending in 2014, and acquiring Zobrist would help fill a glaring hole in their lineup. 

The Rays, meanwhile, lost for the first time in 10 games Sunday, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Boston Red Sox. Zobrist, a two-time All-Star, went 1-for-2 with two walks, and is hitting .333/.429/.467 in 20 games in July, with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 14 walks. His .895 July OPS makes this his most productive month of the season. 

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