We're never happy with what we've got.

It wasn’t long ago that Michael Bourn was the hot property on the market, and more than one Giants fan site called for the Orange and Black to step up and grab the guy. It never happened.

You can’t argue with the results. The Giants were coming off their second title in three years but had a hole to fill. They looked for short-term fixes and a year later were atop the Baseball world again. Bourn inked a 4-year, $48 million deal with Cleveland that turned out to be a disaster.

Is Michael Bourn worth a gamble? (AP Photo)

In fact, it got so bad that Cleveland shuffled him off to Atlanta last August with Nick Swisher for Chris Johnson) as both teams effectively took out each other’s trash. And now the Braves have had enough, choosing to part ways with Bourn and eat the last $14 mil of his deal.

The talk is bound to start. Is this an opportunity for the Giants?

They do have a short-term void in left field. Angel Pagan is likely on his way out of town but he has the job for the season or until he gets hurt ... again. Gregor Blanco is a superb back-up and is actually more valuable to the Giants in that role. And since they’ve elected to carry only four outfielders, the brain trust obviously doesn’t believe Mac Williamson or Jarrett Parker are ready.

So, how do you feel about San Francisco taking a flier on Bourn?

This one is dicey. Like his cinematic counterpart, this particular Bourn lost his identify as a player.  His nosedive since signing that big contract was jarring: his average went from .274 in 2013 to last year’s abysmal .238, and his defense lagged as well. A rebuilding team like Atlanta can carry one vet for experience, but the Braves opted for ex-Giant (and ex-everyone else) Jeff Francoeur, so Bourn was bid adios.

You hear the murmured inner voices every time someone the Giants once coveted becomes available:

Voice: “Now’s our chance.”

Logic: He sucks.

Voice: He’s affordable.

Logic: He’s done.

Voice: He’s in a bad situation.

Logic: He’s just bad.

Voice: He needs a fresh start.

Logic: Bartender…?

It’s that kind of “reasoning” that gave us the teams of 2005-2007 where you’d look at the rosters and think “This was a heck of a team – in 1995”. Still, there could be a fit for Bourn.

He’s 33, not young by MLB standards but not yet ready for the nursing home. He’s also not that far removed from his gold glove days in Houston. Plus you gotta remember how the Giants managed to squeeze the last drop of baseball talent out of Pat Burrell, Aubrey Huff, Edgar Renteria, Macro Scutaro, Tim Hudson and others.

And there’s the money factor. Sportrac puts the Giants' Opening Day payroll just south of $172 million; trailing only the Tigers, BoSox, Yankees and those blue weenies from SoCal. They’ve got some room before hitting the luxury tax threshold of $189 million but generally like to keep something back on their hip for the stretch drive.

Artist rendering of Bourn's tour in Cleveland.

Bourn is cheap. Thanks to the insanity that is the MLB collective bargaining agreement, the Indians and Braves (man, that is one politically-incorrect combo) are picking up most of the tab. The Giants, or any team that takes the gamble, would pay $507,500 for a year of his services – about the cost of a one-bedroom “apartment” in Sunset.

See, when you look at it in those terms, it’s not so bad.

The Giants wouldn’t need him to be the Michael Bourn of 2011 (.294/.339), they’d just need him to hold down the fort without spiking himself. His vesting option isn’t going to be a reality so they’d just be renting an insurance policy. Think Marlon Byrd.

Once the rotation gets stretched out, it’s likely that Corey Gearrin or someone of his ilk will get shipped out and the Giants will give up on the abomination that is an eight-man bullpen. The most likely result is the addition of a fifth outfielder, and bringing in Bourn (or another similar player) allows Parker, Williamson, et al to play every day.

Is it possible? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not. Is it worth investigating? Even our Magic 8-Ball finds it difficult to see.

What is certain is that the Giants have the means and the opportunity to pull something off. Do they have the desire?