Giants Rumors

Giants “Listening” To Trade Offers For Veteran Players

By Mark Polishuk | July 30, 2022 at 9:19pm CDT

9:19PM: “Pretty much anyone not Logan Webb” could be discussed by the Giants in trade talks, as per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

8:17PM: The Giants have gone 11-22 over their last 33 games, dropping them below the .500 mark and putting them four games outside of the NL wild card race. While the club was reportedly resistant on being deadline sellers as recently as three days ago, the Giants “now listening on their veterans” in trade talks, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand also tweeted that according to a rival executive, San Francisco was seemingly “ready to sell.”

Assuming that the Giants are indeed poised to become sellers to some extent, they immediately become an intriguing team to watch prior to Tuesday’s 5pm CT trade deadline. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has taken a measured approach to selloffs in the past, even during the 2019 and 2020 deadlines when the Giants had a lot more impetus to fully tear down an aging and expensive roster. A major overhaul certainly doesn’t seem in the works this time around, as since the Giants are less than a season removed from winning 107 games, Zaidi certainly must feel his group can return to contention in 2023 (or could even regroup for a late playoff push this year).

Pending free agents are the most obvious trade candidates, and Carlos Rodon would immediately be a major new entry in the pitching market if the Giants made him available. The left-hander is in the midst of an outstanding season, and recently unlocked a vesting option that allows Rodon to opt out of his contract following the season. Rodon is owed $22.5MM in 2023, but since he can surely land a much more lucrative and longer-term pact in free agency, he looks like a sure bet to exercise his opt-out clause.

The White Sox decided against issuing a qualifying offer to Rodon last winter, and thus he is still eligible for the QO tag this offseason now that we know the qualifying offer system will still be in place. The Giants can recoup a compensatory draft pick in exchange for Rodon’s services if he does sign elsewhere, and thus if any rivals teams are interested in Rodon at the deadline, they’ll have to offer San Francisco something of greater value than that compensatory pick. Speculatively, that could be a player closer to the big leagues, since someone who can provide more immediate help might be preferable for a Giants team that plans to win next year.

As for other free agents, Wilmer Flores, Dominic Leone, and Joc Pederson would all garner interest, though Pederson was just placed on the seven-day concussion IL. A team would be taking some risk in acquiring Pederson given the unpredictable nature of concussion-related symptoms, and of course the Giants’ return in a Pederson trade would be impacted by this uncertainty.

Evan Longoria is also on the injured list, as a right hamstring strain has continued an injury-plagued year for the veteran third baseman. The Giants hold a $13MM club option on Longoria for 2023 that doesn’t look too likely to be exercised at this point, though Longoria has also stated that he might retire after the season. Since Longoria has already started fielding drills is expected back in the first week or two of August, another team could take a flier on a veteran who has still quite well when healthy. Longtime Giant Brandon Belt is also a free agent after the year, though a trade doesn’t seem too likely since Belt has also battled injuries and is having only an okay year at the plate. Belt can also decline any trade due to his rights as a 10-and-5 veteran.

Draft Signings: Rays, Giants, Cubs, Brewers, Red Sox

By Anthony Franco | July 29, 2022 at 9:18pm CDT

With three days left for teams to sign draftees, agreements continue to trickle in. Here’s the latest notable news on that front:

The Rays have agreed to terms with first-round selection Xavier Isaac. Jim Callis of MLB.com reports (on Twitter) he’ll receive a $2.5489MM bonus that matches the pick’s slot value. The lefty-hitting high schooler is something of a sleeper target for Tampa Bay, as he’d placed just 92nd on the pre-draft ranking at Baseball America. A 6’4″ prep first baseman from North Carolina, Isaac has huge power potential, although BA suggests his hit tool has proven a bit more divisive. The Rays are clearly confident Isaac’s a good enough hitter to clear the high bar associated with the position, paying him first-round money to forego a commitment to the University of Florida.
The Giants are in agreement with their first-rounder, as Callis reports they’ve come to terms with Reggie Crawford on a $2.2975MM deal (Twitter link). That’s a touch below the $2.49MM slot value that accompanies the #30 overall pick. Crawford is one of the more intriguing players in the class. A first baseman for much of his early time at the University of Connecticut, the left-hander made just 14 pitching appearances between 2020-21. He ran his fastball into the upper-90s and showed a plus slider during his limited mound work, but a Tommy John surgery dashed the Huskies’ chances of getting him into the rotation this spring. Callis notes that Crawford, who has big raw power upside as a hitter, is likely to both pitch and hit during his early minor league career. Baseball America, which placed him as the #59 prospect in the class, suggests he’s more highly-regarded as a pitcher than as a first baseman.
The Cubs agreed to terms with second-round pick Jackson Ferris on an overslot $3.005MM bonus, Callis reports (Twitter link). The slot value for the #47 pick was around $1.67MM. It’s a typical overslot deal for a high school pitcher whom some evaluators viewed as a first-round talent. The left-hander runs his fastball into the mid-90s, and both BA and Callis praise his curveball and changeup. Baseball America expressed some concerns about his delivery and control, but he owns an impressive enough repertoire the Cubs will buy him out of a commitment to Ole Miss.
The Brewers have also gone well overslot in the second round, with Callis reporting (on Twitter) they’ve agreed to a $2.35MM bonus for Jacob Misiorowski. The slot value associated with the #63 selection checks in at $1.1MM. Misiorowski, a right-hander from Crowder junior college in Missouri, had been set to attend LSU next year. He checked in 67th in the class according to BA, with a fastball that sometimes clocks triple-digits and a possible plus slider. The 6’7″ hurler has questions about his control and the quality of his third pitch, but Milwaukee is clearly intrigued by his high-powered top two offerings.
The Red Sox also went well above slot on a mid-round player, as Callis reports they’ve agreed to a $2.5MM bonus with supplemental 2nd-rounder Roman Anthony (Twitter link). The 79th selection comes with a slot value of $820.4K. Anthony, a 6’3″ prep outfielder out of Florida, is credited by both Callis and BA with big left-handed power projection. He has some swing-and-miss concerns and BA suggests he’s likely to move to the corner outfield in pro ball. An Ole Miss commit, Anthony was BA’s #72 prospect.

Latest On Juan Soto’s Trade Market

By Anthony Franco | July 29, 2022 at 7:43pm CDT

With four days to go until Tuesday evening’s trade deadline, the floodgates of activity have yet to really open. There’s nevertheless been plenty of chatter about the game’s top trade candidate, Juan Soto. The Nationals superstar will continue to be the talk of the summer market until the club either pulls the trigger on a deal or the deadline passes.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote last night that the Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers and Rangers are among the teams generally viewed as those best positioned to pull off the blockbuster. That wasn’t a comprehensive list of clubs with interest, although Jim Bowden of the Athletic tweets this evening that only four clubs remain in the market. Bowden adds that the Padres and Cardinals are among that group of four, but the identities of the other two teams remain unknown. To be clear, it’s not a certainty that no one besides St. Louis, San Diego, Los Angeles and Texas is still in the mix.

Previous reports have tied the Mariners, Giants, Mets and Yankees to Soto, but the general belief is the Nats aren’t interested in dealing him within the NL East. Meanwhile, Heyman wrote last night the Nats “seem focused” on teams other than the Yankees. That’s not to say the Yankees are out, as Heyman unsurprisingly notes they’re still interested in Soto after acquiring Andrew Benintendi from the Royals.

The Cardinals, Padres and Dodgers are obvious entrants into the Soto bidding. They’re each 2022 contenders with a robust collection of young major league and/or farm talent, and all three have proven bold enough to trade for star players in recent years. The Rangers are perhaps a more surprising entrant into the market since they’re not in the playoff mix this year, but Texas has long maintained they expect to compete in earnest by next season. With Soto controllable for an additional two seasons, the Rangers could enter the fray with an eye towards adding another star to the 2023-24 rosters after big free agent pickups of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News wrote yesterday that Texas has indeed been in contact with the Washington front office and continues to monitor the market. Whether they’ll be willing to meet the Nationals’ understandably astronomical asking price — and top the offers of clubs that are eyeing Soto as a target to improve their 2022 odds as well — remains to be seen. Grant suggests the Rangers may prefer to focus their resources, both financial and in terms of prospect capital, on their efforts to add talent to the starting rotation. Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic noted last night in an appearance on Fox Sports that the general expectation is that Texas will be outbid by a more motivated club (Twitter link).

There’ll be more clarity on the Soto negotiations over the next few days. One thing that does not appear to be under consideration: the sides reopening extension talks before the trade deadline. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post hears the Nats aren’t planning to make another extension offer (Twitter link). General manager Mike Rizzo has confirmed that Washington made a 15-year, $440MM proposal that Soto rejected a few weeks ago. That apparently marked the final extent to which the Nationals were willing to go, at least this summer. That’s not to say the Nats have to force a trade imminently, since his remaining arbitration eligibility would allow them to revisit extension and/or trade talks next offseason if he’s not dealt before Tuesday.

Giants Place Joc Pederson On Injured List

By Anthony Franco | July 29, 2022 at 6:16pm CDT

The Giants have placed outfielder Joc Pederson on the seven-day injured list, which is specific to concussion-like symptoms. Infielder Jason Vosler has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento to take his active roster spot.

Pederson has been one of the Giants more productive hitters this season. Signed to a $6MM deal over the winter, he’s hit 17 home runs in only 285 plate appearances. Pederson has a .242/.319/.492 line, splitting his time between the corner outfield and designated hitter. It’s something of a bounceback showing for the 30-year-old, who posted below-average offensive numbers between 2020-21 after a generally strong run with the Dodgers.

While Pederson could return to the lineup within a week, his trip to the IL comes at an interesting time for the Giants. San Francisco enters play tonight with a 49-50 record, placing them three games back in the NL Wild Card race. The next few days could prove pivotal towards determining how president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and his staff approach the deadline. They’ll have to navigate the next few games without one of their better left-handed bats.

If the Giants did decide to sell, Pederson would be an interesting trade candidate himself. He’s an affordable platoon bat who’d certainly appeal to contenders searching for that kind of player. As an impending free agent, Pederson would be among the likeliest players the Giants could deal if they moved anyone. He checked in 22nd on MLBTR’s list of the top 60 deadline trade candidates this afternoon. Players on the IL can still be traded, so the Giants could move Pederson before next Tuesday’s deadline if other clubs continue to express interest despite the concussion symptoms.

NL West Notes: Ohtani, Padres, Walker, Rodon, Giants, Bard

By Mark Polishuk | July 28, 2022 at 3:18pm CDT

The Angels reportedly don’t have any interest in trading Shohei Ohtani, but that hasn’t stopped the team from at least listening to offers out of due diligence, Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post write. The Padres are one of those teams who have called about Ohtani, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, who adds that this is the type of aggressive move that has become typical of San Diego president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. There doesn’t seem to be any indication that the Padres have caught the Halos’ attention, except in the broader sense that the Padres have the depth of premium young talent that the Angels would undoubtedly want if they actually did considering sending Ohtani elsewhere.

Frankie Montas and Luis Castillo have also been linked to the Padres in trade rumors, and as Rosenthal notes, it is noteworthy in itself that San Diego is looking at pitchers despite having plenty of rotation depth on paper. However, MacKenzie Gore was recently placed on the injured list, Sean Manaea has struggled as of late, and the Padres could be trying to land a pitcher controlled through at least 2023 considering that Manaea, Joe Musgrove, Mike Clevinger, and Nick Martinez could all potentially enter the free agent market this winter. Furthermore, someone like Blake Snell could be dealt to try and stay under the luxury tax threshold, as avoiding another tax payment is another consideration for Preller to manage as the deadline approaches.

Giants Designate Angel Rondon For Assignment

By Anthony Franco | July 26, 2022 at 6:20pm CDT

The Giants have designated right-hander Angel Rondón for assignment, Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic was among those to relay. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for infielder Tommy La Stella, who is back after a stint on the COVID-19 injured list.

San Francisco nabbed Rondón off waivers from the Cardinals two weeks ago, and he’s made just two Triple-A appearances since that point. He’ll now lose his roster spot and perhaps never appear in a big league game with the Giants, as he’ll either be traded or waived within the next week.

Rondón, a 24-year-old righty, has three big league appearances under his belt. He tossed two frames over two outings last season, and he’s made one five-inning relief appearance with St. Louis this year. He’s spent the majority of the year in Triple-A, working as a swing option for the Cardinals top affiliate in Memphis. Rondón threw 49 innings in 18 appearances (five starts) there, posting a 4.04 ERA with a decent 24.2% strikeout percentage but an elevated 15.3% walk rate.

This is the second of three minor league option years for Rondón, so any team that acquires him could stash him in Triple-A as a depth arm for the next season and a half. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he’d remain with the Giants top affiliate in Sacramento as a non-roster player.

NL West Notes: Soto, Padres, Merrill, Wood, Giants, Heaney, Taylor

By Mark Polishuk | July 24, 2022 at 10:47pm CDT

Speculation continues to swirl over which team (if any) could pry Juan Soto away from the Nationals before the trade deadline, or even which clubs are the top contenders as we approach August 2. According to Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Nats may be “focusing on one or two teams at the moment,” with the Cardinals seen by some rivals as a likely contender to be one of those clubs due to St. Louis’ amount of MLB-ready talent. As far as the NL West goes, however, a rival executive tells The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that “I think San Diego is as likely as the other 28 teams combined. They have the players and they have [A.J.] Preller.”

Certainly, the Padres’ president of baseball operations is always open to bold moves, and that confidence extends to the team’s prospects in the sense that the Padres “are confident they can keep replenishing their farm system.” While San Diego has already dealt quality blue-chippers in other deals over the years, more intriguing new names keep emerging. For instance, Rosenthal writes that teams have shown interest in shortstop Jackson Merrill and outfielder James Wood, the Padres’ two top picks from the 2021 draft. Merrill and Wood were both high school selections who are still a few years away from the bigs, so in regards to Soto, the Padres could hang onto the young duo as future building blocks while dealing other prospects who better fit the Nationals’ demands.

Giants Acquire Ben Bowden From Rays

By Mark Polishuk | July 24, 2022 at 6:42pm CDT

The Giants acquired left-hander Ben Bowden from the Rays, as revealed by Triple-A Durham manager Brady Williams (hat tip to Durham broadcaster Patrick Kinas). There isn’t any word yet on what the Rays sent back in the deal. Bowden makes his return to the NL West, after spending the majority of his professional career in the Rockies organization.

Colorado drafted Bowden 45th overall in 2016, and while his development was slowed by two missed seasons (2017 due to injury, and naturally 2020 due to the canceled minor league campaign), the southpaw eventually reached the majors in 2021. Bowden posted a 6.56 ERA over 35 2/3 innings out of the Rockies’ bullpen, with a 23.7% strikeout rate and a mediocre 11.9% walk rate.

Control problems have been an issue for Bowden for much of his career, with an 11.56% walk rate to show for 168 2/3 innings in the minor leagues. However, he has also recorded plenty of strikeouts, and has a solid 3.42 ERA to show for his time on the farm. The 2022 season could act as a microcosm of Bowden’s inconsistency — he posted an 8.22 ERA in 7 2/3 frames with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, before delivering a 2.45 ERA for Triple-A Durham after being claimed by the Rays in April.

Even within that improvement with the Bulls, Bowden still has an ungainly 14.4% walk rate. Tampa Bay designated the lefty for assignment in May and then outrighted him off their 40-man roster, so San Francisco and the 28 other teams all opted to pass on Bowden during that stint on the DFA wire.

Bowden has shown enough potential that it is easy to understand why the Giants (a club with a proven knack for developing pitchers) would have interest, especially since the 27-year-old is already a big league-ready arm. With Jose Alvarez on the 60-day injured list until September, Bowden gives the Giants another left-handed depth option for their bullpen at either the MLB or Triple-A level.

Giants Place Evan Longoria On 10-Day Injured List

By TC Zencka | July 24, 2022 at 1:32pm CDT

The Giants have placed Evan Longoria on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter). With Longoria back on the shelf, right-hander Gregory Santos was recalled from Triple-A.

Longoria has struggled with the injury bug throughout his Major League career. The 36-year-old hasn’t played in more than 100 games since 2019, although that somewhat mischaracterizes a healthy 2020 season in which Longoria appeared in 53 of the pandemic-shortened 60 games. This season, Longoria missed more than a month early on to repair a torn ligament in his finger, and he recently spent another turn on the IL because of an oblique strain.

When healthy, the veteran has been his usual self at the plate, slashing .243/.331/.459 with 9 home runs across 169 plate appearances, good for a 124 wRC+. Without his bat in the lineup, the Giants have relied on rookie David Villar, whose positive approach at the plate has led to a 21.2 percent walk rate and 132 wRC+ through his first 52 big league plate appearances.

Santos, just 22 years old, has four big league appearances under his belt, but just one so far this season. Santos is the Giants’ 7th-ranked prospect per Fangraphs, though he did not make Baseball America’s list of top-30 prospects in the Giants’ system. The power righty owns a 3.42 ERA across 26 1/3 innings in Triple-A.

NL Notes: Castillo, Moose, Solano, Matz, Longoria, Padres

By Mark Polishuk | July 23, 2022 at 9:45pm CDT

Luis Castillo is drawing loads of attention as the trade deadline nears, and according to Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds’ focus seems to be on getting young talent for Castillo rather than using him as an avenue to cut payroll. The idea of having a rival team take on Mike Moustakas’ contract as part of a Castillo deal hasn’t come up in recent negotiations, Nightengale writes, though the Reds were open to such a concept in other talks last year. However, as Cincinnati has moved some salaries off the books in subsequent deals, payroll cuts no longer seem to be as big a priority.

Castillo isn’t the only trade chip on the roster, as the Reds put “a high asking price” on infielder Donovan Solano in recent talks with an unknown club. Solano has hit an impressive .313/.371/.450 in 89 plate appearances this season, trying to make up for lost time after a hamstring injury delayed his 2022 debut until June 22. Cincinnati inked Solano to a one-year, $4.5MM deal in March, so he would be a pure rental for any club looking to add a versatile infielder and veteran right-handed bat to the mix.

Headlines

Giants Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect