San Francisco Giants: MLB-ready trade deadline targets, Part 2

The San Francisco Giants could make a point to target MLB-ready prospects at the deadline. Marc Delucchi will highlight a few players who fit the bill from each potential trade partner.

In a recent discussion with the media, San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi suggested the team would be targeting prospects close to the major league level in their deadline deals.

If that is indeed the path they choose to take it limits the pool of prospects they will be willing to consider. In order for a contender to be willing to part with talent close to the big-league level, they have to believe that player is not capable of making an impact in the short-term. That could be true for a couple of reasons.

1. The prospect is blocked by a current big leaguer.

2. There’s a specific part of their game that is lacking. For pitchers, that’s usually a lack of control. For hitters, it’s often an inability to make consistent contact.

With that in mind, we’ll generally be looking at either post-hype prospects or guys who aren’t considered top prospects but are playing in the upper levels of the organization.

In the first edition of this series, we looked at the players who fit the bill from the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees.

In part two, we’ll look at blocked players on the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and Minnesota Twins for the San Francisco Giants to target this July.

Houston Astros

For a better idea of which San Francisco Giants players might interest the Astros, check out the Sell-off Series.

Current MLB Players
Josh James
Tony Kemp
Myles Straw

Blocked Triple-A Players
Kyle Tucker
Derek Fisher
Josh Rojas
Alex De Goti
Nick Tanielu
Taylor Jones

Pitchers
Cionel Perez
Dean Deetz
Kit Scheetz

Few teams have more quality depth at the upper levels of the minors than the Astros, and that’s abundantly clear from this list.

James, 26, is currently in the Astros’ bullpen where he’s working primarily off his upper 90s fastball, plus changeup, and above-average slider. His control has limited his effectiveness (5.7 BB/9), but he still has front-line starter potential. There’s a good chance he’s out of reach for the Giants.

Kemp, 27, might be the most obtainable. Aledmys Diaz and Carlos Correa are close to returning and he’s set to become a bit more expensive next season in his first year of arbitration. He’s a solid left fielder, and he’s played a passable second base and center field as well.

Straw doesn’t profile as an everyday player in Houston, but he’s an intriguing player with some upside at the age of 24. He uses an all-fields approach and above-average plate discipline to reach base consistently. He has 70-grade speed, a solid arm, and is a plus defender in center field making him at minimum a valuable fourth outfielder with some useful versatility thanks to his ability to handle shortstop.

It’s unlikely the Astros have soured on Tucker, who was a top-20 prospect last season, to the point that they would be willing to move him for a rental. He was once a top-20 prospect in baseball and despite struggling in a cup of coffee last season, he still has tremendous upside. That said, they have enough depth to move him in the right deal.

Fisher has also struggled in limited big-league action, but he has the tools to be a 20-20 player in the majors. He’s still only 25 and is buried on the Astros depth chart, making him an ideal buy-low candidate.

Rojas was a late-round find out of the University of Hawaii who has performed better as a pro than in college. They are prepping him to be a super-utility player as he’s seen time at every infield and outfield position with exception to catcher and center field. He works walks and consistently puts the ball in plays with more doubles than home run power, but still might have enough bat to be an average everyday player.

De Goti doesn’t even get mentioned in the Astros’ system rankings. But, he’s capable of playing anywhere on the infield and has been a league-average hitter at every level, including Triple-A. Tanielu is another mid-20s guy who can handle third or second base with a solid approach and doubles power. Jones is a 6’7” right-handed bopper likely limited to first base and left field.

Perez has three potentially plus pitches, but lacks control and feel on the mound. With that said, he’s still just 23, and he has already reached the big leagues and has a very high ceiling.

Scheetz and Deetz, on the other hand, are both low-ceiling reliever specialists. Deetz has a mid-90s fastball and a plus curveball, but severe control problems limit him to a future in middle relief. Scheetz is a LOOGY in the mold of Javier Lopez who works off four different pitches from different arm angles, but none are particularly overwhelming.

Minnesota Twins

For a better idea of which San Francisco Giants players might interest the Twins, check out the Sell-off Series.

Current MLB Players
Miguel Sano
Willians Astudillo
LaMonte Wade Jr.

Blocked Triple-A Players
Jaylin Davis
Brent Rooker
Nick Gordon
Luke Raley

Pitchers
Kohl Stewart
Andrew Vasquez
Lewis Thorpe
Jake Reed
Gabriel Moya

The Twins have enough depth to entertain the idea of moving Sano, perhaps in a deal similar to the Yoenis Cespedes-for-Jon Lester swap a few years back. Him being moved is admittedly a long-shot, though.

Astudillo burst onto the scene last year and looked like a modern super-utility player, but this year he’s regressed substantially. He still offers great positional flexibility and years of team control that could appeal to the Giants.

Wade Jr. is only filling in for Eddie Rosario while he recovers from an ankle injury. He is an approach-first corner outfielder who walks more than he strikes out and plays good defense, but he doesn’t have much power.

Rooker has split time between left field and first base, but he’s not particularly good in either spot. His plus power is his calling card and while he works walks, strikeouts remain a concern with 95 in 65 games at the Triple-A level this year.

More from Around the Foghorn

• SF Giants: 2021 team is approaching franchise milestone
• SF Giants: Brandon Belt is a qualifying offer candidate
• SF Giants: Outfielder Ka’ai Tom signed to minors deal
• SF Giants: Reliever Reyes Moronta clears outright waivers
• SF Giants sign veteran 1B John Nogowski to minor league deal

Gordon was a top-five pick in 2014 and was considered a lock to stick at shortstop. While he remains a prospect, he doesn’t show the upside that made him such a highly regarded prep. The Twins could see him as the replacement for impending free agent Jonathan Schoop at second base. He’s still young at 23, and with further refinement, he could still become a solid starter at second base.

Raley is a burly power hitter, but unlike Rooker, he projects to be a solid defender at first base and in both corner outfield spots. He doesn’t quite have Rooker’s power, which limits his offensive upside.

Stewart is another top-pick who has never quite put it all together as a pro. He throws in the mid-90s, but command remains a problem. Vasquez is a lefty who has racked up strikeouts in the minors working off a good curveball, but his ceiling is limited.

Thorpe is a fringe top-10 prospect in the Minnesota system and he has mid-rotation stuff, but he has dealt with a slew of injuries throughout his career. The 23-year old has been healthy this season and he has 99 strikeouts in 79.1  innings at Triple-A.

Reed and Moya are middle relievers that rely more on their ability to mix pitches than overpowering stuff. Moya was just designated for assignment, despite limited MLB success in the past.

That concludes part two of our blocked player breakdown. We’ll have more teams and plenty more MLB-ready targets for the San Francisco Giants in part three, so stay tuned.