LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The Giants arrived at the winter meetings in desperate need of a premium defender in center field, an alternative to Pablo Sandoval at third base and a professional hitter with a pulse capable of parking himself in the middle of their lineup.



They departed on Thursday with no center fielder. No third baseman. And where the middle of their lineup should be, nothing but shattered safety glass.



Then again, unless you’re the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s not like anyone else stepped up to turn these meetings into a swapfest. The anticipated non-stop activity never really got started. Aside from Giancarlo Stanton putting on Yankee pinstripes for the cameras and the Cardinals pivoting to acquire outfielder Marcell Ozuna, all of the Giants’ primary and secondary targets remain in play.



There were indications that the Giants had inched closer to fruition on multiple trade possibilities as these meetings concluded, and...