San Francisco Giants: Building a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MAY 01: Will Smith #13 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the ninth inning of a Major League Baseball game at Oracle Park on May 1, 2019 in San Francisco, California. The Giants won the game 2-1. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

With a sell-off coming for the San Francisco Giants this summer, Marc Delucchi will go team-by-team for a look at how each contender fits as a potential trade partner. Next up, the Tampa Bay Rays.

The July 31st trade deadline is approaching quickly. New rules instituted this season have also eliminated August waiver trades for big league players. That means teams like the San Francisco Giants have to worry about waiting too long and missing their chance to sell on players set for free agency at season’s end.

One team in a position to buy is the Tampa Bay Rays.

After jumping out to an early lead in the AL East, the Rays have faded a bit in the standings and they now sit a half-game behind the New York Yankees. Still, they are in the driver’s seat in the AL wild-card race and are in prime position to reach the postseason.

However, the Rays would no doubt prefer to avoid the one-game chaos of a wild-card spot, and to catch the Yankees they will need to make some additions.

While the Rays have notoriously stringent payroll limits, they’ve built one of the two best stocks of prospects in baseball. They’ll be able to take their pick of the players they want to target at the deadline.

Furthermore, their system is so deep, they could probably get almost any player they wanted without giving up one of their elite-level prospects and without sacrificing much depth.

To give you a sense of how strong the Tampa Bay system is, according to FanGraphs Prospects, they had 10 prospects who would have ranked as the either the Giants #1 or #2 prospect heading into the season.

The Rays have an obvious need in the bullpen and the Giants have a number of players that could fit. Some have suggested a need for starting pitching as well, but I’m skeptical. An analytics-driven team like Tampa Bay that already has Blake Snell and Charlie Morton with the potential to get back a healthy Tyler Glasnow would likely have little interest in an aging Madison Bumgarner.

Some have suggested Brandon Belt could be a valuable addition to the Rays as well. He would add more punch to their lineup, but I just don’t see the teams lining up. Belt’s contract would have to be paid down substantially and if the Giants did that, they’re going to want legitimate prospects.

Ahead are a few trade proposals that would stand to benefit both the Giants and Rays.

San Francisco Giants Trade Proposal #1

To Rays: C Stephen Vogt
To Giants: OF Ryan Boldt

Before we get to the bigger bullpen deals, I see a minor swap that could entice both the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays.

Stephen Vogt has been a productive backup catcher for the Giants through the first couple months of the season. Buster Posey is a shell of his former self and has dealt with injuries and has needed a lot of rest even when healthy.

Vogt has appeared in 24 games and posted a respectable .250/.318/.417 line, which is right on par with his career .251/.310/.416 triple slash. He also offers solid, albeit unspectacular, defense behind the plate.

The Giants seem fond of former second-round pick Aramis Garcia and allowing him to split time with Posey behind the plate would provide an extended look. Vogt will be a free agent at season’s end anyway, and the Giants aren’t moving on from Posey anytime soon given his contract.

The Rays acquired Mike Zunino this offseason to hold down the fort behind the plate. However, he’s always been prone to huge slumps and even at his best he strikes out a ton. This season, he’s batting .183/.233/.339 with three home runs and injuries have limited him to 31 games.

Furthermore, the Rays have had a revolving door behind Zunino on the depth chart. They acquired Erik Kratz from the Giants earlier this year and have dealt with injuries to Michael Perez and Nick Ciuffo. Travis d’Arnaud has an iffy track record and a long injury history as well.

Vogt would offer a good left-handed compliment to Zunino and could give them some level of stability behind the plate.

The Giants should be able to get one fringe-40 level prospect for Vogt. Outfielder Ryan Boldt seems like a good balance of ceiling and floor that the Rays wouldn’t be too opposed to parting with.

Boldt was selected in the second round by the Rays in 2016 and he’s produced at every level since turning pro. Last season at Double-A, Boldt hit .274/.348/.461 while showing some potential to hit for more power. The holdup for Boldt has been injuries. He only played 62 games last year and he is back on the IL to start 2019.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JULY 13: Sam Dyson #49 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates after the game against the Oakland Athletics at AT&T Park on July 13, 2018 in San Francisco, California. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-1. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

Plenty of Ways to Upgrade the Pen

The San Francisco Giants bullpen is statistically one of the best in baseball, and the talent backs up the production.

Closer Will Smith alongside Tony Watson, Sam Dyson, and Reyes Moronta have given manager Bruce Bochy plenty of trustworthy options late in games. Not to mention the surprising production from players like Trevor Gott and Mark Melancon.

With Smith, Watson, and Dyson all set for free-agency well before the Giants will return to relevance, there’s plenty of reason to expect all three to potentially be on the move. Furthermore, the Giants have a number of interesting bullpen arms in the upper minor leagues ready for an opportunity.

Watson is the least valuable of the Giants’ high-leverage relievers and he has exhibited some troubling trends this season. The Giants will be able to move him, but the Rays aren’t simply looking for depth in the bullpen, but shutdown late-inning options.

Smith has been one of the best closers in baseball this season. Dyson obviously hasn’t closed since he fell apart with Texas, but his velocity and production suggest he’s at as good a level as he was when he was a top closer in baseball.

Both also have very desirable contract situations and Dyson is under team control through next season via arbitration. While Smith is clearly one of the best relief pitchers in baseball, the added long-term control of Dyson could give them similar value.

A pair of high-end 45+ or low-end 50 value prospects with a throw-in would seem fair value for either one, with Smith perhaps able to acquire an additional throw-in.

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 17: Nick Solak #85 of the Tampa Bay Rays poses for a portrait during photo day on February 17, 2019 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

San Francisco Giants Trade Proposal #2

To Rays: LHP Will Smith
To Giants: 2B Nick Solak, OF Moises Gomez, RHP Austin Franklin

Nick Solak has done more than enough to justify a chance at everyday playing time. However, the Rays stacked system is forcing him to linger in Triple-A. He’s a gritty second baseman whose line-drive swing is still able to get effective lift. This season, he’s hitting .276/.367/.485 with 10 home runs in the pitcher-friendly International League.

Solak doesn’t have to play second base, although Joe Panik could be on the move soon. He can play pretty much anywhere on the field and has held his own in left and even center field. He won’t be a star, but he has performed at every level and may be worth more than he seems due to versatility.

Moises Gomez is a 20-year-old thumper who burst onto the scene last season at Single-A. This year, he has struggled against High-A pitching, but he remains very young with potential plus-power and a solid hit tool. He has a below-average approach, but the Giants player development group has helped many prospects improve their discipline this year. He’s probably limited to left field defensively, but the bat has enough upside to justify targeting him.

Right-hander Austin Franklin has shown the potential to be a solid mid-rotation starter, but is working back from Tommy John surgery. The injury came at a poor time for Franklin as he’s still working on finding a third pitch he’s comfortable with. Still, his present fastball-curveball package would play well in the pen.

San Francisco Giants Trade Proposal #3

To Rays: RHP Sam Dyson
To Giants: SS Lucius Fox, LHP Anthony Banda

In a package for Sam Dyson, a reunion with shortstop Lucius Fox might actually make sense. The Rays are perhaps even more stacked at shortstop than they are at second base. While the Giants added a lot of depth at the position in this years draft, there are virtually no prospects who project as everyday shortstops currently in full-season ball.

Fox remains one of the best athletes in baseball with plus-plus speed and he has all the capability to stick at short. His defense and bat have both been inconsistent over his career, but the tools are there. He isn’t very strong and lacks power, but he has managed to work walks at an impressive rate which helps him make the most of his speed on the bases.

I’ve always been high on southpaw Anthony Banda and he fits here as a secondary piece. He’s working back from a UCL-tear, but the Giants have no reason to rush him. Most scouts believe he’s a safe bet to be a back of the rotation starter, but I see a mid-rotation ceiling. He has potentially three above-average pitches with a fastball-changeup-slider repertoire that would work well off each other. In Banda’s 40.1 career innings at the MLB level, he has a 3.26 FIP.

San Francisco Giants Trade Proposal #4

To Rays: RHP Reyes Moronta
To Giants: RHP Shane Baz, OF Nick Schnell, LHP Shane McClanahan, 2B Kean Wong

My final trade might rock the San Francisco Giants fanbase as much as any.

Pablo Sandoval and Madison Bumgarner are obviously the biggest names, but fans have been preparing for a Bumgarner trade for a while and Sandoval’s resurgence is more of a fun distraction than a true fan craze.

Reyes Moronta’s pudgy frame, electric stuff, and Brian Wilson-like penchant for the dramatics have made him a lightning rod out of the bullpen since joining the Giants.

I am here to tell you Giants fans, get ready to let go.

A few things make a Moronta trade unlikely. For one, he has four years of team control remaining after this season, so there isn’t the same need to move him as there is with Smith or even Dyson.

Furthermore, if the Giants are shopping Smith, Watson, and Dyson, adding someone like Moronta would increase the supply of legit high-leverage relievers on the trade market and would hamper all of their markets.

It would make a lot of sense to look into moving Moronta this offseason as teams look to build their bullpens amid a thin crop of free-agent relievers.

However, the Rays may be the only team able to convince the Giants to send Moronta packing now. While Smith and Dyson would both fit into the Rays’ payroll, Moronta’s long-term team control is exactly the kind of low-cost asset they covet.

It would take an overwhelming package for the Giants to pull the trigger, but if the Rays really want him they can offer up an attractive package that still leaves them with a top-five farm system.

The package would start with one of left-hander Matthew Liberatore or right-hander Shane Baz. While Liberatore has been on the injured list, I suspect the Rays still prefers his upside to Baz. And for what it’s worth, I’m higher on Liberatore as well.

Outfielder Nick Schnell, who was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, would be an attractive second piece. Coming from a cold weather climate left Schnell behind other similar-aged prospects. Still, he has one of the highest ceilings of anyone selected in that draft and it would once add another incredible set of tools to the Giants’ system.

The third major piece of this proposal was actually selected one pick before Schnell in last year’s draft. Left-hander Shane McClanahan entered his junior season at South Florida as a top-10 draft prospect. However, he dealt with injuries and a severe dip in velocity that led his stock to crater. Like Baz, McClanahan has great stuff but is limited by his command and a violent delivery.

Finally, second baseman Kean Wong is a poor man’s Solak. He too is stuck at Triple-A where he’s been plenty productive, but he doesn’t have a spot at the major league level.

These four prospects would give the Giants a ton of potential upside on the mound and at the plate. On the flip side, Moronta would immediately become an elite bullpen option for a Tampa Bay Rays team as they contend this season and all the way through the 2023 campaign.

Next. Building a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies

If the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays do end up pulling the trigger on a trade this summer, these four proposals could serve as the framework.

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