Matt Johnson
The San Francisco Giants came into the season with one of the 10 highest MLB payrolls in 2026 yet were projected to fight for a .500 record. As the summer arrives and the club sits near the bottom of the standings, it’s evident San Francisco needs to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline.
For this exercise, we’ll maintain some realism with the assumption that no team would be willing to take on the Rafael Devers contract or the Willy Adames deal.
Let’s dive into a few ideas for potential trades the SF Giants could make to improve their farm system and strengthen their future.
Robbie Ray Traded to Chicago Cubs
Robbie Ray is one of the most obvious Giants trade candidates. The All-Star pitcher and former AL Cy Young Award winner is on an expiring deal and he’s not pitching well enough to warrant a qualifying offer. So, San Francisco can take advantage of a trade market with a lot of pitching-needy teams.
- San Francisco Giants trade: Robbie Ray, $5 million cash
- Chicago Cubs trade: C Owen Ayers
The Chicago Cubs are in dire need of starting pitching and Robbie Ray will be a lot cheaper to acquire than Tarik Skubal. Realistically, it might only cost one of the Cubs top prospects for a half season of Ray as long as San Francisco is willing to cover a portion of his $25 million salary this season. In exchange, San Francisco gets Owen Ayers. Rated as Chicago’s seventh-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, Ayers offers some enticing offensive potential as a switch-hitter and he has a great arm behind the plate. He’s likely two years away from an MLB debut, but he could be the Giants’ catcher of the future.
Tyler Mahle Traded to Washington Nationals
The San Francisco Giants signed Tyler Mahle to a one-year contract this offseason with the hope that he could replicate the success (2.18 ERA) he had in 16 starts with the Texas Rangers over a full season. Instead, he’s allowed nearly twice as many earned runs (38) as he did last season (21) in 30 fewer innings. He’s also now on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Once he returns, teams will absolutely be interested in him as a back-end starter.
- San Francisco Giants trade: Tyler Mahle
- Washington Nationals trade: IF Angel Feliz (Nationals’ No. 24 prospect)
It might come as a bit of a surprise to have the Washington Nationals as buyers, but they are .500 this season thanks to a lineup that leads MLB in runs scored and ranks fourth in slugging (.418). What Washington lacks is decent starting pitching. Mahle can be a very effective No. 4 starter for the Nationals, while the Giants pick up teenage infielder Angel Feliz. A top-25 international free agent in 2024, Feliz would be a dice-roll prospect for San Francisco.
Luis Arraez Heads to San Diego Padres
The Luis Arraez signing worked out perfectly for the Giants. Entering MLB games today, he boasted a .323/.359/.431 triple-slash line with a .790 OPS and he ranked second on the team in WAR (2.1). Given the team’s placement in the standings, moving Arraez’s expiring deal is the only smart move.
- San Francisco Giants trade: Luis Arraez
- San Diego Padres trade: RHP Tucker Musgrove (Padres’ No. 9 prospect)
Through 64 games this season, the San Diego Padres lineup ranks last in runs scored (241), batting average (.214) and OPS (.644). There’s plenty of blame to go around, but Padres’ second basemen (.232/.321/.284) play a massive role in the woes. This would be a return to San Diego for Arraez, except this time he gets to play second base. This move also shifts Fernando Tatis Jr. back to right field for good.
In exchange for helping their division rival, San Francisco picks up right-handed pitcher Tucker Musgrove. A former seventh-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-1 righty has a 3.60 ERA with a 43.2% K-rate this season in High-A. He is on the older side at 24, but at a minimum he has the stuff to become a lights-out reliever long-term.
Heliot Ramos Gets Change of Scenery
At just 26 years old and under team control through age-29, there’s certainly not a need to make a Heliot Ramos trade. However, the corner outfielder would benefit from a change of scenery once he gets healthy and the Giants could take advantage of a market that doesn’t have a lot of cost-controlled, power hitters available.
- San Francisco Giants trade: Heliot Ramos
- Philadelphia Phillies: OF Francisco Renteria (Phillies’ No. 3 prospect)
For the Philadelphia Phillies, Ramos’ right-handed power bat is precisely what they need in the corner outfield. While they’d be taking a bit of a hit defensively, Ramos’ physical tools give him the ability to hit 30-plus homers in the right ballpark with an ops of .750-plus. The contract just makes him even more valuable.
Meanwhile, San Francisco gets one of the top international prospects from he 2026 class. Francisco Renteria is just 17 years old, but he’s a five-tool prospect who could develop into one of the best prospects in baseball down the line. The raw power and athleticism at 6-foot-4 are enticing and there’s ALl-Star potential here. Renteria is a massive risk-reward prospect, but he would be a worthwhile gamble long-term for San Francisco.
