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

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.