NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bobby Evans, the Giants’ vice president of baseball operations, hinted that competition for free-agent second baseman Marco Scutaro’s services could be more spirited than anticipated.

“He’s got versatility,” Evans said Monday, referring to Scutaro’s ability to play shortstop and third base as well, “and that gives him an additional market that some guys may not have.”

Observers assumed that Scutaro, 37, would settle for a two-year contract. But his breadth of skills, along with his .362 average in 61 games down the stretch for the Giants and that National League Championship Series MVP trophy he won, might be enough to earn him another year, or at least an option year.

“In Marco’s case, I wouldn’t rule out anything,” Evans said.

*****

At a ceremony here Monday, Evans received the Bowie Kuhn Baseball Chapel Award for his efforts to encourage spiritual efforts among the Giants. In addition, Staci Slaughter, the club’s senior vice president of communications, received the 2021 Robert O. Fishel Award for public relations excellence. She has been a member of the organization since 1996.

– Chris Haft

April 6

PHOENIX — As you might expect, Friday was a special time for Dan Otero.

This was officially Otero’s first day in the Major Leagues after spending five years in the Giants’ farm system. A 21st-round selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, the right-handed reliever reveled in his surroundings at Chase Field, where the Giants opened their season.

Asked how long he had yearned for this day, Otero replied, “Since I was about three years old and given a baseball glove for Christmas. This is what I dreamed about. This is awesome, just to be a part of this, to be on the Opening Day roster.”

Some players resist the romance of the game. Not Otero, who grasped Opening Day’s significance.

“I’m a huge baseball fan,” said Otero, a Miami-area native. “I love the history of the game. So, growing up, I’d watch as many games as I possibly could. Opening Day was one of my favorite days because I could watch 10 games on different channels, flip back and forth, from one o’clock until 11 o’clock. It was great. So to be a part of it now is almost surreal.”

Wearing jersey No. 87, Otero was the Giants’ last non-starter to be introduced during pregame ceremonies. He looked calm enough as he stood on the first-base line, but before the game he admitted that this would not be an ordinary ceremony.

“I’ll definitely have some goosebumps,” Otero said. “I’ll try to stay in the moment. I just want to remember it and enjoy it.”

Otero, 27, earned his big league chance with an outstanding Spring Training performance. He recorded a 0.82 ERA, surrendering one earned run in 11 innings spanning 10 appearances. Besides garnering his place on the active roster — which could be vulnerable when Ryan Vogelsong is ready to return from the disabled list — Otero won the Harry S. Jordan award, which is given annually to the most dedicated and spirited player attending his first Major League camp.

- Chris Haft

Thursday, July 28

PHILADELPHIA — Brian Sabean said Thursday that he’s continuing to pursue more offensive help as Sunday’s Trade Deadline approaches, but the Giants general manager didn’t sound optimistic about making more deals.

Asked if the market for catchers and shortstops, two positions where the club could stand some strengthening at the plate, had gained any life in recent days, Sabean replied, “Not really.”

Sabean spoke on a conference call to trumpet Wednesday’s acquisition of outfielder Carlos Beltran from the New York Mets for right-handed pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. Predictably, Sabean was upbeat about obtaining Beltran, who’s expected to bolster the Giants’ sagging run production.

“He’s a legitmate third hitter probably on any team,” Sabean said of Beltran.

Snippets from the call:

– Sabean indicated that Beltran, a six-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, was the player the Giants wanted most. Sabean recalled that he initiated talks with his Mets counterpart, Sandy Alderson, on July 1. “We always had one foot in the door,” said Sabean, who related that as he returned home from Monday’s White House visit, he received a phone call from Alderson that “rekindled” trade talks.

– Sabean’s confidence in Beltran to fill the void at the batting order’s third spot is virtually limitless. “Once (Buster) Posey went down, I thought we were dead in the water with being able to replace him,” Sabean said. “Carlos has a chance to do that.”

– Sabean was reluctant to part with Wheeler, San Francisco’s No. 1 draft choice in 2009. “I truly hate that we gave up a really good prospect,” Sabean said. “But we’re at an interesting place in time.” Translation: The Giants are in win-now mode, and Sabean said that the organization didn’t expect Wheeler to contribute at the Major League level for another few years. “It’s our job to find another Wheeler,” Sabean said, expressing confidence in the organization’s ability to develop pitching and in the haul of pitchers from this year’s draft.

– Sabean hopes that players appreciate the Beltran trade, which reflected the organization’s efforts to keep the Giants on top. “If I were a player, I’d applaud it,” said Sabean, who acquired second baseman Jeff Keppinger last week in an attempt to strengthen the lineup. “I always worry about how [players] react or what they think.”

– Sabean apparently doesn’t have to worry about what Beltran thinks. He spoke to the switch-hitter, who had to waive a no-trade clause, and received positive feedback. “He very much wanted to be a Giant,” Sabean said.

– Chris Haft

Wednesday, July 27

PHILADELPHIA — At this point, it would seem surprising if the Giants didn’t acquire outfielder Carlos Beltran from the New York Mets.

Giants general manager Brian Sabean isn’t dropping any hints, and his underlings are sworn to secrecy — unless they want their next job in baseball to feature rolling out the tarp for an independent league team. But given the national media buzz, along with Sabean’s reputation for obtaining the man (or men) he wants as the Trade Deadline approaches, Beltran might find himself spending an extra day or two in Cincinnati, where the Mets currently are playing. Conveniently, the Giants travel to Cincinnati for a weekend series beginning Friday.

Beltran would have a ripple effect through the Giants’ lineup. Depending on whether Beltran were to bat third or fourth, the hitters surrounding him in the batting order  — Jeff Keppinger, Pablo Sandoval, Nate Schierholtz — would see better pitches with him on deck or on base. As a switch-hitter, he might even enable manager Bruce Bochy to maintain some (gasp!) stability in the lineup.

Sabean doesn’t want to part with top prospects such as right-hander Zack Wheeler, outfielder Gary Brown or first baseman-outfielder Brandon Belt. That probably won’t be necessary. Conventional wisdom suggests that the Giants can seal the deal by sending the Mets three capable prospects.  According to the smart money, Double-A Richmond outfielder Francisco Peguero would be included in the package the Mets would receive. Peguero is a nice-looking hitter, but possesses relatively little power.

Speculation has fingered left-hander Dan Runzler, who has divided this season between the Giants and Triple-A Fresno, as somebody else who the Mets probably would want. That makes perfect sense. Except there’s that little matter of the $5 million club option on the 2012 contract of Jeremy Affeldt, another left-hander. Affeldt has performed well. But with pay hikes imminent for salary-arbitration-eligible players such as Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandoval, Ryan Vogelsong, Sergio Romo, Nate Schierholtz and Jonathan Sanchez, among others, the Giants might elect not to pick up Affeldt’s option to save money to allocate to others. If that’s part of the Giants’ plan, they might be reluctant to part with Runzler — who would help sustain their inventory of left-handers — and would offer the Mets a different pitcher or two.

Then again, teams are forced to trade players they’d rather keep all the time.

Meanwhile, the existing Giants are continuing the day-to-day existence that has become habit for established big leaguers. Outfielder Cody Ross, whose playing time likely would decrease if Beltran arrived, insisted that he and his teammates aren’t dwelling on Sunday’s deadline.

“To be honest with you, we don’t really talk about it a whole lot,” Ross said Tuesday night. “With this particular club, we’ve been around, for the most part, for a while. I remember being a rookie, a second-year guy, and talking about trade deadlines. It was exciting. But now it’s just another day and we just go out and play. We can’t really worry about it. We have to make do with what we have and I think we have a pretty good team. We’re in first place, so, as long as we can stay there …”

– Chris Haft

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants altered the look of their roster Tuesday by recalling outfielder-first baseman Brandon Belt and acquiring infielder Jeff Keppinger from the Houston Astros.

Belt, the Giants’ Opening Day first baseman, has been recovering his stroke with Triple-A Fresno since going on the disabled list June 4 with a hairline fracture in his left wrist. Manager Bruce Bochy has said that Belt, considered San Francisco’s top position-player prospect, wouldn’t be brought to the Majors until a vacancy in the lineup was created to enable him to play regularly.

Belt was hitting .324 with seven home runs, 29 RBIs and a 1.011 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in 43 games for Triple-A Fresno.

Keppinger, 31, was obtained for Minor League right-handers Henry Sosa and Jason Stoffel. In 43 games with Houston, Keppinger hit .307 with four home runs and 20 RBIs. He’s a career .284 hitter in 530 games with the Mets, Royals and Reds besides the Astros.

– Chris Haft