Will Giants be buyers or sellers ahead of this week's trade deadline?

San Francisco Chronicle​

6 days ago

With the trade deadline looming Thursday, front offices around baseball kept an eye on the San Francisco Giants ' series against the Mets this weekend, including a number who sent scouts to Oracle Park.
Sure, some teams out of it are focused on New York, which is in first place in the NL East and needs a starting pitcher and bullpen help while also looking at the Giants as likely buyers, in the market for a starter and a right-handed bat.
Others, though, are wondering whether the Giants, losers of eight of 10 entering Sunday, might look to sell rather than buy. Executives and scouts who spoke to the Chronicle the past week aren't sure, but the consensus is that president of baseball operations Buster Posey is far more likely to go for it, with the Giants only 2½ games out of a playoff spot, than move any parts.
That said, there was extra interest in Robbie Ray 's start against the Mets — any contender with a need would pay a great price for Ray, an All-Star and former Cy Young winner who will be a free agent after the season. Should the Giants flip outright to sellers this week, Tyler Rogers would be attractive to pretty much any club in a playoff spot.
Other teams have such specific needs, the Giants conceivably could be sellers even while dealing with another seller.
Take Seattle, a frequent trade partner under the previous front office and the team that dealt Ray to the Giants. The Mariners need a third baseman and no, they're not crazy, they're not asking about Matt Chapman, but there is a scenario in which the pitching-rich club could move a starter to San Francisco for a package that included Casey Schmitt. The Giants inquired about Luis Castillo last winter, but it's unlikely a playoff hopeful would deal a starter with an ERA under 4.00 even if they'd like to move salary. Seattle exec Jerry DiPoto is unafraid to pull the lever on just about any trade, though, so never say never. Castillo is signed through 2027 and has a vesting option for 2028.
Reliever Ryan Walker is catnip for some playoff hopefuls, but he's under team control through 2029; as with Schmitt, the Giants aren't looking to deal him. To get a top-flight starter, though? Maybe.
In a discussion with the Chronicle last week, Posey hinted that the team would listen on top prospects Bryce Eldridge and Carson Whisenhunt, saying, 'I think it's important to listen, I'll leave it at that. I think we have to listen on everything.'
It's safe to assume that Eldridge is off limits for only the most major addition, say an All-Star caliber starter under team control beyond this year. Even that's a stretch, whether Rafael Devers is now the first baseman or not. (There are no indications the Twins are shopping Joe Ryan, who is not a free agent until 2028, and no, the Pirates aren't trading Paul Skenes.)
One Giants minor-leaguer consistently mentioned by scouts and execs: Bo Davidson, a 23-year-old left-handed outfielder at Double-A Richmond. Davidson is batting .304 with 11 homers, 57 RBIs, 55 runs and 14 steals combined at two levels this season. He's currently ranked as the Giants' fifth-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, fourth best by Baseball America.
Several execs noted that Posey already pulled off what is likely to remain the biggest deal of the summer by acquiring Devers from Boston, he just did so early, on June 15. Even if the Giants do nothing else, the first-year exec might have won the trade deadline.
Players, coaches and managers love getting help this time of year. It's usually a boost, a sign the front office and ownership believe in the team. With Devers already in the fold, now playing first and starting to hit, do the Giants need to do more to get that kind of vibes bump in the clubhouse?
'Even before that (Devers deal), I've done it long enough to know that you have to be happy with what you have, and if you get some help, then that's great,' Giants manager Bob Melvin said. 'And we got some big-time help before anybody else did, really, so we have enough here to go where we want to.'