The Giants' acquisition of Melky Cabrera this offseason has provided a tremendous boost to San Francisco's lineup. Cabrera is hitting .353/.391/.519, and John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that he would be open to an extension:

“Of course I would. I’m a free agent next (winter), but the fans and Giants’ organization have treated me very well, so I would welcome staying with the Giants.”

According to Shea, Cabrera told his representatives at ACES to let the Giants' front office "know his intention to stick around."

Last month, GM Brian Sabean told reporters that he'd yet to begin extension talks with Cabrera, but that he didn't think Andre Ethier's five-year, $85MM contract was a good comparable. The Melk-Man may not command that large of an investment, but he obviously did well to reject the two-year, $13.5MM extension the Royals offered him last August.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk examined Cabrera's extension candidacy in May, but his stock has risen considerably since that time. Cabrera had a historic month of May, and he currently leads the National League with 119 hits. Fangraphs pegs his value to date at a healthy 3.3 wins above replacement — good for 11th among all MLB outfielders.

Cabrera, who is capable of playing all three outfield positions, would be part of a strong class of free agent center fielders that includes the likes of B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino, and Michael Bourn. Nick Swisher and Carlos Quentin are also set to hit free agency, which should create a buyer's market for teams seeking impact outfielders.