San Francisco Giants: Will Smith to Tampa Bay Rays trade a bad idea

As they push for a wild-card spot, the San Francisco Giants should not entertain trading Will Smith unless they are blown away by an offer.

As the San Francisco Giants ride a wave of extra-inning wins up the wild-card standings, the idea of trading away any key pieces of their current roster may seem sacrilegious to some fans.

However, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill.

The latest report linked the Tampa Bay Rays to the San Francisco Giants top relievers, presumably including closer Will Smith.

That’s all this should be. A rumor.

The idea of a “need-for-need” trade for someone like Joey Wendle or Michael Brosseau is underwhelming at best.

That’s not to say the second base position is not an area of need.

Incumbent second baseman Joe Panik has struggled mightily at the plate this year, but I am nowhere near convinced that Brosseau or Wendle would be a significant enough improvement to justify trading a key member of the relief corps.

The bullpen has been a strength for the Giants all season, and that will need to continue going forward if they are going to keep up their winning ways.

Jon Becker of The Mercury News speculates that the Giants could even consider a reunion with fan-favorite Matt Duffy, who made his season debut for the Rays last night.

Coincidence or not, the Giants have not been the same since they dealt Duffy to the Rays in exchange for Matt Moore back in 2016. However, the oft-injured infielder would not add anything to a team that already has Zach Green and Donovan Solano filling bench roles.

The Giants should still be exploring the market for Smith, but if they are going to trade him, they should do it because they are getting a player who they know is going to make a difference right now or a prospect they believe will be an impact player down the line.

The same goes for Madison Bumgarner and anyone else the team might consider moving.

Thanks to their stellar play of late, the San Francisco Giants are in a position to dictate the market for their top trade chips.

They can set a high asking price and not back down from it, with contenders knowing they’ll be happy to stand pat and continue pushing toward contention if they’re not blown away by an offer.

A trade for Joey Wendle or Michael Brosseau simply doesn’t fall into that category.