San Francisco Giants: Building a trade with the Atlanta Braves

San Francisco Giants Trade Proposal #2

To Braves: RHP Sam Dyson
To Giants: LHP Kyle Muller, RHP Trey Riley

If the Atlanta Braves go for a more standard conservative to the deadline, Sam Dyson makes a lot of sense. Atlanta’s best reliever, Luke Jackson, is right-handed so Tony Watson could make sense as well, but Dyson has been the Giants second-best reliever this season behind Smith.

The 31-year-old has quietly been one of the best setup men in all of baseball. He holds a 2.91 ERA with 31 strikeouts against just five walks in 34 innings. He’s also been a ground ball machine with a ground ball rate of nearly 60 percent.

More from SF Giants Rumors

• SF Giants: Building an extension for slugger Kris Bryant
• SF Giants: Kris Bryant hints at staying beyond 2021
• SF Giants: Three reasons Kris Bryant will not re-sign
• SF Giants make their move, acquire Kris Bryant from Cubs
• MLB trade rumors: SF Giants among 3 teams with “continued interest” in Trevor Story

Furthermore, Dyson is under team control via arbitration through next season. So, unlike Smith or Bumgarner, the Braves could pencil him onto their roster at a reasonable price in 2020 as well.

Kyle Muller is one of my favorite prospects in Atlanta’s system. While he isn’t ranked on any major publication’s top 100 list, he’s performing very well at Double-A.

The 21-year-old has a 3.18 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 73.2 innings on the year. A second-round pick out of high school in 2016, he works off a low-to-mid 90s fastball, an above-average slider, and plus changeup. At 6’6”, 225 pounds, Muller profiles as an effective mid-rotation arm.

Trey Riley is not at the level as Muller in terms of prospect pedigree, but he has two potential plus pitches. After struggling at Oklahoma State, Riley transferred to a junior college and touched 97 mph as a starter. The Braves selected him in the fifth round last year and sent him to Single-A Rome to begin 2019.

A lack of command is the biggest concern for Riley. He’s walked 31 batters in 50.2 innings this year, and while he has a potentially plus fastball-slider combo, he will need a lot of refinement as a pitcher. There is a dream scenario where Riley remains a starter, but he likely projects as a high-leverage reliever.

Dyson would solidify the Atlanta bullpen without them touching any of their elite prospects, while Muller would be a strong centerpiece for the Giants and Riley would be an interesting project.

If the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants are going to match up on a deal, it could very well look something like this.

Previous Editions: Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers.