Despite landing star shortstop Carlos Correa, MLB free agency has not been friendly to the San Francisco Giants. They were a finalist for all-time single-season American League home run leader Aaron Judge before he re-signed with the New York Yankees.
More recently, San Francisco lost All-Star pitcher Carlos Rodon to the very same Yankees in MLB free agency. It creates a major hole behind ace Logan Webb. Signing veterans Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea helps from a depth perspective. But they don’t compare to what we saw from Rodon last season by the Bay.
- Carlos Rodon stats (2022): 14-8 record, 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 2.25 FIP
If San Francisco is going to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the National League West, it will need to add a 1A behind Webb. Below, we look at three options on the trade block now that the MLB free-agent market has dried up.
Related: Sportsnaut’s MLB free agent tracker
San Francisco Giants trade for Carlos Carrasco
With the Mets having landed Justin Verlander, Carlos Carrasco and Kodai Senga, rumors are afloat that Carrasco can be had on the MLB trade market. While he isn’t a traditional No. 2 starter by any means, the veteran has looked like it at times throughout his career. Just look at his performance with the then-Cleveland Indians back in 2016.
- Carlos Carrasco stats (2017): 18-6 record, 3.29 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 226 strikeouts
This past season with the Mets, Carrasco won the second-most games of his career (15). He also pitched to a 3.97 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning. He’d likely come relatively cheap from a compensation standpoint in what would be a three-team trade sending prospects to another squad and MLB talent to New York.
Related: Updated MLB free agent rumors
San Francisco Giants pull off blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins
While San Francisco is pretty much set with five starters right now, it wouldn’t be a surprise if front office head Farhan Zaidi went with a six-man rotation. It also must be noted that Alex Cobb (5.10 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) was a weak link for the team during a down 2022 season.
Why not call the Marlins up about multiple pitchers to see if a blockbuster trade could work out? Miami is said to be listening for all of its starters outside of reigning National League MVP Sandy Alcantara. In this scenario, the Giants acquire both Pablo López and Jesús Luzardo in a packaged deal.
Both are young and under team control. Lopez, 26, pitched to a 3.75 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 32 starts a season ago. Meanwhile, Luzardo is a former top prospect of the Oakland Athletics. After dealing with injuries and inconsistency, the 25-year-old returned to form by posting a 3.32 ERA and 1.04 WHIP a season ago.
A move of this ilk wouldn’t come cheap. In addition to moving off Cobb’s contract, the Giants would have to entice Miami with some top prospects. That includes shortstop Marco Luciano and outfielder Luis Matos, San Francisco’s No. 1 and No. 3 prospects respectively. It works out in that Miami is looking for position players in exchange for these pitchers.
Related: MLB’s highest-paid players of 2022-23
San Francisco Giants pull off shocker for Max Fried
Now, it’s highly unlikely that the defending National League East champs are going to trade Fried. The Atlanta Braves just acquired star catcher Sean Murphy in a blockbuster trade. They’re all in for the 2023 season.
Despite this, one report suggests that Atlanta’s ace could be had. There’s multiple reasons for this, including his status as a free agent following the 2024 season and the fact that Fried will likely demand north of $30 million annually on an eight or nine-year deal. That might be out of Atlanta’s market.
- Max Fried stats (2020-22): 35-14 record, 2.67 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 3.00 FIP
At just 28 and with his track record of success, acquiring Fried would cost one of the most-expensive bounties we’ve seen in a MLB trade in some time. For the Giants, that would include the aforementioned Luciano and Matos, among other top-end prospects. With that said, San Francisco is in win-now mode. Exhausting prime capital from the farm should be in the cards.
