The San Francisco Giants are in the playoff picture entering MLB games today, putting the team in a position to be buyers at the trade deadline. While San Francisco hasn’t been linked to a large number of players in recent rumors, it appears there are a few targets the franchise has already inquired about.
San Francisco has plenty of room to improve its roster before the deadline. Entering play on July 28, the Giants ranked 21st in slugging, 19th in batting average and 17th in OBP. Furthermore, San Francisco was 22nd in batting average allowed and 14th in quality starts.
While the Giants have been connected with interest to some of the top starting pitchers available, they’re also reportedly going after specific hitters.
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According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, San Francisco is pursuing middle-infield help at the trade deadline. While the Giants are looking at a wide array of options, they have specifically contacted the Kansas City Royals about Nicky Lopez and touched base with the St. Louis Cardinals on Paul DeJong.
A lack of production from the infield has been a persistent issue for San Francisco in 2023. Giants’ second basemen rank 24th in wRC+ (77) and 28th in OBP (.281). At shortstop, San Francisco ranks 28th in batting average (.208) and 27th in OPS (.586).
It puts the Giants at a significant competitive advantage in a playoff field that includes the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Nicky Lopez stats (2023): .213/.322/.284, 73 wRC+
Lopez would not have a significant influence on the Giants’ run production. In 1,822 career plate appearances, he has a .248/.311/.317 slash line with only five home runs and 39 steals in 518 games. However, Lopez is above-average defensively and could see at-bats against right-handed pitchers (.639 OPS).
DeJong would be a better hitter for San Francisco. While he hasn’t returned to his early-career form – .857 OPS in 2017 – DeJong has delivered his highest OPS+ (96) since his All-Star season in 2019 (99 OPS+). DeJong is also a plus defender (95th percentile Outs Above Average).
- Paul DeJong stats (2023): .237/.303/.422, 13 home runs, .725 OPS
Related: MLB trade rumors
Neither DeJong nor Lopez is likely the highest player on the Giants’ trade target list, but DeJong would be a solid addition if he’s part of a series of moves. However, more will likely need to be done after the Dodgers acquired Lance Lynn and Amed Rosario.