Matt Johnson
The San Francisco Giants have been featured prominently in MLB trade rumors early in the summer, with the club operating as sellers amid a lost season. While San Francisco is open to moving a large portion of its roster, it seems president of baseball operations Buster Posey and his staff are particularly hopeful of three potential deals that could be made.
According to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, the GIants front office is “hopeful” regarding its ability to move All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman, former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray and All-Star infielder Luis Arraez this summer. The club is more “pessimistic” about its chances of dealing either Rafael Devers or Willy Adames.
Related: Latest Intel on Potential Matt Chapman Trade for SF Giants
Ray and Arraez are two of the most obvious MLB trade candidates this summer. Arraez, age 29, signed a one-year contract with San Francisco this offseason and is enjoying a turnaround season. The veteran infielder boasts a .320/.357/.444 triple-slash line through 297 plate appearances, with an .801 OPS that is his highest mark since the 2023 campaign when he earned 4.9 WAR.
While Arraez has always been a good singles hitter, his game has reached another level this season. Entering MLB games today, he boasts his highest walk rate (5.5 percent) since 2023, and that’s led to him posting a .350-plus OBP for the first time in four years. More importantly for interested teams, Arraez is faring extremely well defensively at second base (98th percentile Fielding Run Value) for the first time in his major-league career.
Related: Matt Chapman Trade Landing Spots
Heading into his next start, Ray holds a 4.07 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP and a .227 batting average allowed across 79.2 innings. His strikeout rate has fallen year-over-year (24.6 percent to 22 percent) and his walk rate has gotten worse (9.7 percent to 11.3 percent). However, Ray’s ERA and WHIP are both largely inflated by a May 18 start when he allowed 11 hits and 9 earned runs. On an expiring deal, he’s still viewed as an effective mid-rotation starter for a playoff contender.
Chapman, age 33, is the most interesting trade candidate in San Francisco. He’s still playing excellent defense at the hot corner and producing enough at the plate to remain an above-average third baseman. He’s under contract through 2030 at a $25.166 million payroll salary, and it’s possible the Giants would be willing to cover a portion of that to strengthen the return of prospect capital in a deal.
However, it’s worth noting that Chapman has a full no-trade clause and the California native has made it clear he greatly prefers to remain in a Giants uniform. While that perspective could change if the right opportunity comes along to join a World Series contender, it’s far likelier that Ray, Arraez and starting pitcher Tyler Mahle are traded this summer than Chapman.
