The San Francisco Giants have endured a fairly rough start this season. They are currently tied with the Colorado Rockies for last place in the NL West after 22 games. They have a 9-13 record and are 6.5 games out of first place.
Even after taking two of three games from the Washington Nationals, the Giants’ offense still ranks among the worst in MLB. They are 27th in runs scored, tied for last in home runs, and 27th in OPS, according to MLB.com.
The Giants also have three struggling starting pitchers. San Francisco’s ace Logan Webb and Adrian Houser both have a 5.40 ERA, while Tyler Mahle has a 7.23 ERA.
It is still early in the season. But if the Giants’ woes continue, they might be sellers at the trade deadline.
Robbie Ray Named Potential Trade Away Candidate
ESPN’s David Schoenfield listed different trade candidates for all 30 MLB teams, and starting pitcher Robbie Ray was named for the San Francisco Giants.
“The Giants should not be written off; this season is too jumbled to do that, and there is still plenty of talent here,” Schoenfield wrote. “However, they’re a mess now, with an overpaid, underproducing roster and a rookie manager still trying to figure out the major leagues.”
Ray could be an intriguing name to other teams trying to make a playoff push. The 34-year-old has provided the Giants with a great 1-2 punch between him and Webb.
Ray was named an All-Star last season after posting an 11-8 record with a 3.65 ERA and won the Cy Young in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He is off to another great start this year. Ray is 2-3 in his 5 starts but has a 2.86 ERA.
GettySan Francisco Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Why Should the Giants Trade Away Robbie Ray?
Ray is in the final year of his contract with the Giants and will be a free agent after this season. It would make sense for the Giants to acquire a young prospect if they are out of playoff contention and do not plan on resigning him.
San Francisco Giants’ President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey is not afraid to make trades. He acquired Rafael Devers six weeks before the July 15th trade deadline in hopes of helping the Giants make a playoff push last season.
The Giants went on a downward spiral shortly after, and Posey traded away players who were on the roster for several seasons.
Posey traded relief pitchers Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers, and starting right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, for prospects in return.
If San Francisco is out of playoff contention before this season’s trade deadline, Posey probably will not hesitate to trade away starting players again.
Giants Former All-Star Named Early Trade Candidate