5 Trades The Giants Should Do At The Deadline

The Giants have collapsed over the last month and a half, with a 13-24 record. Trading for Rafael Devers was supposed to be the key to competing for the division; instead, it’s led to them free-falling. The best direction for the team is to sell, and it seems Buster Posey agrees. The Giants traded Tyler Rogers for the Mets’ 10th and 12th-ranked prospects, along with Jose Butto. The Giants have chosen to sell, and with this level of a haul, it’s the correct decision. I’ll explore five trade ideas the Giants should consider at this deadline to help the future of the organization.

5 Trades The Giants Should Do At the Deadline

1. Cash in on Doval

Camilo Doval needs to be traded on deadline day. Doval’s value is as high as it will ever be, and there are a significant number of teams in need of relief pitchers. Reports have indicated the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, and the New York Yankees are the most aggressive teams left in the market looking for relief pitching. Doval is under team control until 2028, when he becomes a free agent. A dominant reliever under team control for multiple years will fetch a hefty return for the Giants. They’ll easily be able to pull in at least one top ten prospect in a team’s farm system. With the Giants’ farm system ranked 28th in baseball, they desperately need to bring in talent.

2. Use Ray to fetch a big time prospect

The Giants should heavily consider trading Robbie Ray by the deadline. He becomes a free agent this summer, and if the Giants don’t have plans to pursue him heavily this offseason, they should sell him for a haul of prospects. Ray boasts a 2.93 ERA and a 3.76 FIP with a 9.35 K/9. Basically, he’s been elite this season, and teams would have to pay a hefty price for the former CY Young winner. I could see the Giants being able to trade for a top 100 prospect or a prospect in the top 5 of a team’s farm system. Ray would be an elite playoff pitcher for a contending team, so if the Giants feel the price is right, they should pull the trigger and send Ray to a playoff team and get players for the future.

3. Consider trading Rodriguez

Randy Rodriguez is the player I least expect the Giants to sell, but if they did, they would be able to pull in an elite prospect. Rodriguez was an All-Star this year and has been dominant, boasting a 1.20 ERA. If they chose to listen to offers on this young star, they would easily be able to pull in a top 100 prospect. Rodriguez is 25 and under team control for the next five seasons, and with the desperation shown from contenders to trade for relief pitching, the Giants could get a superstar prospect. I doubt the Giants will end up trading him, but the potential return could be worth it for the Giants.

4. Its time to go Verlander

Justin Verlander is on the wrong timeline for this team as currently constructed. Reports have started to come out that the Giants are listening to offers for Verlander. The former superstar pitcher just hasn’t worked out for the Giants, winning one game in the 18 games started for the orange and black. I could see both sides wanting to move on from each other, with the Giants trying to get off his 17 million dollar contract for the remainder of the season and Verlander trying to pitch for a playoff team. The Giants should take any offer they can get for Verlander and give one of their young pitchers, like Carson Whisenhunt, the rotation spot to see what they’ve got. Verlander, unfortunately, didn’t work out for the Giants, and it’s time to move on.

5. Goodbye Flores

As the Giants are currently constructed, they have far too many designated hitter players. Ideally, they need to trade one away, and the odd man out is probably Wilmer Flores. Wilmer had an amazing start to the season and at one point led baseball in RBIs. He could still be a valuable piece for a contending team in need of some extra hitting and veteran experience. Hopefully, you could bring in a top-25 prospect in a team’s farm system for Flores, but I’m not sure where his value lies. Ideally, trading him gives the Giants more options, like moving Heliot Ramos to DH and moving him out of left field to improve the defense on certain days. If trading Flores is a possibility, the Giants should do it.

A Complete Collapse

The Giants failed themselves over the last 30+ games and put the final nail in their coffin by getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates at home. Posey has opened the fire sale, and the team can only blame themselves for their poor performance.