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The San Francisco Giants have had a disappointing first quarter of the season, sitting in second-to-last place in the National League West with a losing record.
While there is still time to turn things around, the front office may opt to trade some pieces away and rebuild around young talent if the team doesn’t play better going forward. And if that’s the case, then 2017 All-Star outfielder Michael Conforto would be the most likely player heading out, according to Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter.
“After missing the 2022 season recovering from shoulder surgery, Michael Conforto signed a two-year, $36 million deal with the Giants, but his return to action was lackluster at best with a .239/.334/.384 line and 15 home runs in 125 games,” Reuter reported. “He will need to pick up where he left off once he returns, and the Giants might need to include some cash to pay down his $18 million salary if they want a solid prospect return, but he is a potential impact bat in a market thin on offensive upgrades.”
The San Francisco Giants Have Already Replaced Michael Conforto
Conforto has slashed a solid .280/.331/.490 with seven homers and 20 RBI in 143 at bats so far this season, making him one of the team’s most productive hitters. But he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain and the team has been forced to explore options to replace him.
“Replacing Conforto on the club’s active roster is (Luis) Matos, a 22-year-old who was a consensus top-100 prospect back in 2022,” Nick Deeds reported for MLB Trade Rumors. “Aside from Matos, Conforto’s injury could create more playing time for the likes of Blake Sabol and Wilmer Flores in the coming days.”
As the Giants see disappointing results from a range of veterans, including offseason acquisitions Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler, and with outfielder Jung Hoo Lee undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, they seem to be moving toward younger players.
Matos has had a strong start in Conforto’s place, which might be another reason the Giants feel they can move on from the veteran in a trade.
“Matos might be having the greatest all-around week by a Giants position player in decades, and what’s more, everyone else heated up around him in the Giants’ 14-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies,” Andrew Baggarly wrote for The Athletic shortly after Matos’ debut. “For the first time all season, the Giants appear capable of a burst of acceleration.”
In eight starts in the outfield this season, Matos has slashed .325/.341/.550 with two homers and 18 RBI. When Conforto returns from injury, Matos will almost certainly retain his spot with the big-league team as the replacement for Lee.
The San Francisco Giants Have a Number of Players Poised for Potential Trades
But the Giants might opt to deal away more than just Conforto this season if they decide to build more aggressively around their younger talent.
“If they do, Michael Conforto, Alex Cobb, Austin Slater and Nick Ahmed are set to become unrestricted free agents after this season, while (Blake) Snell, Matt Chapman, Robbie Ray and Wilmer Flores all have player options for 2025,” Kerry Miller noted for Bleacher Report. “That octet could collectively fetch quite the haul of prospects.”
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