LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- In so many words, Giants general manager Bobby Evans acknowledged Wednesday that the superior depth of the St. Louis Cardinals' farm system helped them, not San Francisco, emerge as trade partners with the Miami Marlins to secure slugging outfielder Marcell Ozuna.
Included in the three-player package St. Louis reportedly will send to Miami is right-hander Sandy Alcantara, whose fastball regularly reaches or exceeds 100 mph. The Giants also wanted Ozuna but lack an excess of hard-throwing prospects to make available in a trade.
"It's fair to say that our system is not as strong as we'd like it to be," Evans said, "and that does cost us deals sometimes. That's reality."
However, Evans has insisted the Giants' stock of Minor Leaguers includes some coveted talent.
"The quantity of players being asked about is significant," Evans said. "It's not everybody asking for the same guy. Nobody asked us for Joe Panik before he came to the big leagues. No one asked us for Brandon Crawford. No one asked us for [Madison] Bumgarner.
"There's a lot of players who don't get asked about in the Minor Leagues. But then they emerge to be very successful big league players."
Strength in numbers: Evans said the Giants' Minor League affiliates will employ four coaches, including the manager. Previously, the farm clubs used three-man staffs.
The additional coach, who will complement the hitting and pitching coaches, will handle duties depending on need. For instance, if a club wants to add a bench coach, that's how the third man will function.
The Giants are expected to name their Minor League staffs Thursday.
Jolly St. Nick: Evans said the Giants are vigorously pursuing an agreement with catcher Nick Hundley, who's a free agent.
Hundley, 34, won last season's Willie Mac Award as the most inspirational Giant. Of his 70 hits, 32 went for extra bases. With Buster Posey frequently stationed at first base in Brandon Belt's absence, Hundley received plenty of activity as San Francisco's backup catcher. He appeared in 101 games and received 65 starts behind the plate.