San Francisco Giants: Three players most likely to be traded this offseason

A busy offseason awaits for the San Francisco Giants, and one decision that will need to be made is whether to trade anyone on the current roster.

As team president Farhan Zaidi continues to rebuild the San Francisco Giants roster for future success, there are a number of players that may find themselves on the trade block this offseason.

He already showed the fan base that he is not afraid to let go of beloved players when he released Joe Panik in the midst of a tough season. He could be willing to do the same with other players on the current roster.

With an aging core, chances are that he will look to acquire a younger crop of players that can develop alongside guys like Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, and eventually top prospects like Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos.

Historically, it has been difficult for the Giants to attract top free-agent talent, due in part to a higher state tax. As a result, trades are usually the best way for them to bring in new talent.

This was evidenced a few years ago when the team acquired Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria via trade. That said, Zaidi is different from Bobby Evans, so odds are he won’t pursue ex-stars who are on the decline in their careers.

Who Zaidi trades for is for a different article. The following slides will examine who Zaidi is most likely to be shipping out this winter.

When Brian Sabean was running the show, the Giants were not afraid to give up prospects and younger players in exchange for veterans, but something tells me the inverse could now be true.

Ahead we have highlighted three players who could be on the move this offseason.

RHP Jeff Samardzija

Veteran right-hander Jeff Samardzija was one of the pleasant surprises for the Giants in 2019.

It was unclear what to expect from him after an injury-plagued 2018 season where he made just 10 starts and logged just 44.2 innings.

He wound up pitching quite well, proving he still had something in the tank by posting a 3.52 ERA that ranked 14th among qualified NL starters in 181 innings.

Other clubs surely took notice of his resurgence and it’s not out of the question to think that teams looking for a grizzled veteran starter could come calling this offseason.

The San Francisco Giants would be wise to entertain those offers since Samardzija does not factor into the team’s long-term plans.

The 34-year-old is a free agent after the 2020 season, owed $19.8 million in the final season of a five-year, $90 million contract. If the Giants can bring back a modest return and maybe even get another team to take a bit out of that salary, it would be in their best interest going forward.

Reliever Mark Melancon had a similar salary situation, and Zaidi was able to get the Atlanta Braves to take on his entire contract, so it’s not out of the question.

Samardzija has a limited no-trade clause, so he has some control over where he ends up playing, but the opportunity to play for a contender in 2020 in an effort to get a World Series ring before he retires could be enough motivation for him to accept a deal.

However, if the Giants lose Madison Bumgarner in free agency, they may choose to keep Samardzija around so they at least have two established starters in him and Johnny Cueto.

Even if they do lose Bumgarner, trading Samardzija could make sense if they want to get a longer look at some of their younger rotation arms like Logan Webb or Tyler Beede, or if they feel confident that they can land a free-agent starter like Gerrit Cole.

All in all, Samardzija is a valid piece that the San Francisco Giants could try to trade in an effort to get back some young talent and shed some payroll.

CF Steven Duggar

Steven Duggar was supposed to be the San Francisco Giants starting center fielder in 2019.

Instead, the acquisition of Kevin Pillar and Duggar’s own injury changed things.

After posting a 92 OPS+ in 152 plate appearances and posting a 1.1 WAR in 41 games during the 2018 season, the hope was that he would emerge as the team’s center fielder of the present and future in 2019.

Unfortunately, he did not progress as hoped offensively, hitting .234/.278/.341 for a dismal 65 OPS+ in 281 plate appearances. That’s not the kind of production you would want from a speedy left-handed batter who began the season hitting in the leadoff spot.

Speaking of his speed, Duggar only recorded one steal in 2019 while he was caught stealing four times, after stealing five bases and only getting caught once in 2018.

That’s concerning since speed is one of the main assets that Duggar brought to the team. If he’s not wreaking havoc on the bases, his value depreciates significantly.

Given that stalled development, Duggar could also be viewed as expendable with a premium now being placed on offensive production from the outfielders. There’s no question he’s a standout defender, but he simply hasn’t shown the ability to hit enough to warrant everyday playing time.

Pillar proved he is still more than capable of manning center field and Mike Yastrzemski was solid defensively as well.

There is now a log jam of outfielders and it would make sense for them to deal one or two to at least get something in return and not have them waste away at Triple-A.

One may ask, why not Austin Slater instead of Duggar?

Well, Farhan Zaidi places value on versatility in players, and Slater has shown he can play in the infield as well as in the outfield. That makes him more valuable and Duggar more expendable.

With bigger bats like Alex Dickerson and Jaylin Davis also vying for playing time in the outfield, Duggar may be the odd-man-out when all is said and done in the outfield log jam.

So there you have it, the three players most likely to be traded by the San Francisco Giants this offseason.