Giants might need help in stretch run
With four days to go until MLB reaches the July 30 trade deadline, the vast majority of clubs around the league have a clear direction.
At the outset of the regular season, many expected the San Francisco Giants to be in position to sell at the deadline and unload a handful of players finishing up one-year contracts. Yet with the deadline only days away, Farhan Zaidi’s club owns the best record in the majors and is still in front of the Dodgers and Padres in a National League West race that figures to come down to the wire.
For the first time since 2016, the Giants are locked in as buyers.
A team with a 62-37 record expects several key players such as Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt to re
turn from the injured list within the next two weeks, but it’s likely Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris will spend the week looking outside the organization for reinforcements.
As the Giants prepare for a postseason push, another starting pitcher, an extra bullpen arm and a quality outfield bat could help transform the roster. Here’s a look at some players from some different teams expected to sell at the deadline who could provide immediate help in San Francisco.
CHICAGO CUBS: KRIS BRYANT>> Closer Craig Kimbrel is also an excellent fit for a club that’s had one of the best bullpens in baseball this season, but Bryant might be the best possible upgrade the Giants could find on the rental market because he’s so versatile.
A former MVP who has posted an .853 OPS with 17 homers this season, Bryant could help the Giants in a variety of ways because he’s played five different positions this year and is comfortable moving around the diamond. Acquiring the pending free agent would be a huge boost for the lineup, but it also may give the Giants an upper hand in signing Bryant to a long-term deal this offseason.
COLORADO ROCKIES: JON GRAY>> Pulling off a trade within your own division is difficult at the deadline, but it’s not impossible.
A deadline deal the Giants made with the Rockies in 2012 brought Marco Scutaro to San Francisco and Gray might be able to have a similar impact in the starting rotation that Scutaro had in the lineup. Over his last six outings, Gray has struck out 41 batters in 35 innings while posting a 2.57 ERA.
A left-handed starting pitcher may be preferable for the Giants to create more balance in a possible postseason rotation, but Gray has great upside and may not cost much in terms of prospect capital because he’s a rental.
TEXAS RANGERS: KYLE GIBSON >> The name most fans want to see here is outfielder Joey Gallo, a powerhitting slugger under team control through 2022, but acquiring Gallo would almost assuredly force the Giants to part with catching prospect Joey Bart.
It’s more realistic to look at another player under team control through next season, Gibson, as the likeliest addition from the Rangers as the righthander is in the midst of a career year and is only slated to make about $7.7 million next season. Low strikeout totals (7.5 per nine innings) are a concern that Gibson may regress, but he’s only given up 0.7 home runs per nine innings this year.
MIAMI MARLINS: STARLING MARTE >> Former Giants outfielder Adam Duvall is another player the Marlins are reportedly shopping, but Marte is the slugger San Francisco has been tied to for the last week or so.
With a 135 OPS+ and an on-base percentage above .400, Marte has the offensive profile that suggests he’d be a good fit in the Giants’ outfield, but he also has a surprisingly low average exit velocity (17th percentile) and a middle-of-the-road chase rate (44th percentile) that might make a front office wonder if his high on-base clip is sustainable.
The other concern with Marte is his injury history, but let’s be clear: He would be an upgrade in center field for the Giants and his long track record at the major league level should be an appealing consideration for the front office. PITTSBURGH PIRATES: RICHARD RODRÍGUEZ >> The Pirates closer is one of the higher-profile relievers on the market this month, but he’s essentially a righthanded Jake McGee as Rodríguez throws his fastball on more than 85 percent of his pitches.
Rodríguez’s 2.82 ERA and 14 saves indicate Kapler would have another option to mix in with McGee and Tyler Rogers in the eighth and ninth innings, so if the price is right, it might be worth overlooking the loud contact Rodríguez gives up (6th percentile in average exit velocity) because he almost never walks hitters.
Left-hander Tyler Anderson, who pitched in the Giants’ rotation last year, is expected to be on the move, but if Zaidi wanted Anderson on the 2021 roster, the club would have tendered him a contract last December.