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

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.

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.