Three ways Buster Posey, Giants can upgrade roster before MLB trade deadline originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ new president of baseball operations finds himself facing the same question that always seemed to follow the old one.
The Giants were two games above .500 at Farhan Zaidi’s first MLB trade deadline, exactly even at the end of July in 2022, and two games under last year. That led to questions every summer about whether the right path was buying or selling.
After a weekend sweep by the New York Mets, the Giants once again are two games over .500. Buster Posey needs to decide whether he’ll buy or sell, but there doesn’t seem to be much debate.
Sources familiar with the front office’s plans said Sunday that they still expect Posey to try to add this week, and after a seventh loss in nine second-half games, star third baseman Matt Chapman mentioned the same thing.
“We’re still right there. We play a lot of the teams that are right in front of us and right in the thick of it with us,” Chapman said. “I think Buster has made it clear that we go out and get Rafi and it makes sense to continue to try to improve this team for this year and for the foreseeable future. I think we expect to add and to continue to get better and to continue to push to make the playoffs.”
Posey already took his big swing, and it’s unlikely that any rival exec makes a move this week that comes close to the Rafael Devers swap of June. But more is needed, so here are three ways the Giants could continue to upgrade their roster …
A Starter (Or Two)
The Giants began the season with seven options for their rotation and plenty of young depth in Triple-A. But in June, they traded Jordan Hicks (who had become a reliever) and Kyle Harrison, and in late July, they optioned Hayden Birdsong (command issues) back to Triple-A and put Landen Roupp (right elbow inflammation) on the IL.
They all of a sudden have just three healthy starters, and their current No. 3 option, Justin Verlander, has just one win and a 4.70 ERA. He has pitched well enough to have a much better record, but he’s also 42 and already had one IL stint this season.
Even when they traded for Devers, it seemed likely the Giants would try to add pitching depth. Now it’s a necessity if they’re planning to make it through the next two months.
The good news is the Giants have two All-Stars atop their rotation, with Robbie Ray joining Logan Webb, who has gone through some summer skids before and always found a way to turn it around. They don’t need to be shopping at the high end of the starting pitcher market — they just need innings, and there will be plenty of options. Even a Charlie Morton, Adrian Houser or Andrew Heaney type could be a big help down the stretch.
This weekend, it looked like the Giants might need two additions, but they’ll take a look at Carson Whisenhunt on Monday to see if the top prospect can be part of the solution in the second half.
Buy And Sell?
When Devers was added, sources indicated the Giants didn’t intend to take on much more salary in 2025. Posey has shown an ability to get more out of ownership (he’s part of it, after all), but he still might have to get creative, especially with the bullpen.
It has been one of the best in baseball all season long, and it’s possible the Giants look around this week and realize their best path is to trade someone like Camilo Doval and then add bullpen depth in a separate deal. Doval doesn’t have a big salary, but he would be a popular option for contenders, and the Giants could fill the ninth with Randy Rodriguez and then trade for another trusted reliever.
Regardless, it does seem like they’re an arm short at times. The hope is that Ryan Walker figures things out in the second half, but on Sunday, Bob Melvin got burned when he tried to extend Joey Lucchesi and Rodriguez.
Lucchesi, at least, has filled what looked to be a gaping hole a month ago. He has a 1.37 FIP in 15 appearances and Matt Gage has been good, too. The Giants also are thrilled with how Erik Miller’s rehab is going. They might be just fine from the left side.
That could open them up to seek another reliable right-hander, and there are always plenty who find new teams at the deadline.
A Bat, Any Bat
The Giants rank 28th in the league in OPS against left-handers and are 10-18 against lefty starters. They have two different stretches this month of at least 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position, and in June, they went 0-for-21 at one point. Since May 1, they’ve been the league’s worst offense in those situations, and it’s not even close.
Most of the improvement will have to come from the team’s highest-paid players and young cornerstones. In Chapman, Devers, Willy Adames, Jung Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos and Patrick Bailey, Posey has committed to a core, and that group needs to be more productive.
But there are still potential places to add. It’s just a matter of which specific position Posey wants to address after he took on Devers’ massive salary and traded away two of his best young chips.
The front office is making calls on second basemen. They have Casey Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald in-house, but Schmitt is hitting .167 since coming off the IL and Fitzgerald is back in the minors. A veteran depth piece could be acquired for a relatively cheap price.
Mike Yastrzemski is hitting .179 in July and Luis Matos has had a disappointing season, particularly against lefties. The Giants still have high hopes for Jerar Encarnacion, who is rehabbing, but he has had a brutal all-around season. Right field once again looms as an area where they could add.
Bailey’s bat is starting to come around, but the Giants also could look for a more reliable backup. Andrew Knizner is hitting .178, but Austin Barnes is in Triple-A and could get a look. It also might be hard to outbid teams that are looking for actual starting catchers this time of year.
The Giants could go in several different ways in search of more offense. If they truly are all-in, they should probably find a way to add at least one useful bat, because at some point, their core likely is going to deal with another injury or two.
