Five SF Giants Trade Possibilities For Rays Ace Blake Snell

SF Giants-Tampa Bay Rays Blake Snell Trade #4

Rays Get: RHP Logan Webb, OF Austin Slater, C Patrick Bailey, CF Grant McCray, LHP Juan Sanchez
Giants Get: LHP Blake Snell, OF Kevin Kiermeier
Baseball Trade Value Simulator Winner: Giants +1.3

Money can buy a lot of things. In baseball, especially this offseason, the more salary a team is willing to take on, it could probably get them some surprisingly good prospects or, in the case of a Snell trade, lessen the return they need to offer. If they take on Kiermeier and are not sending Belt to Tampa, they could probably add Snell without parting with one of their five best prospects.

While it is obvious that the Rays would have to package Kiermeier with an appealing prospect or player to move him, it’s not a comparable situation to the Angels with Zack Cozart last offseason. If Kiermeier were a free agent, many teams would be interested and he could probably command a market similar to Jackie Bradley Jr.

Logan Webb and Austin Slater both were decent contributors for the Giants in 2020. Slater even flashed some 20-20 potential. However, neither project with elite ceilings. Webb has the makings of a mid-rotation starter if he can find a bit more consistency on the mound and Slater, at the least, proved he’s a productive platoon player. Both are cost-controlled, have many years of team control remaining, and could help the Rays immediately.

Bailey, Webb, and Slater would provide the Rays a trio of 45+ future-value pieces and lack enough upside to justify a couple of throw-in lower-level prospects. McCray was the Giants third-round pick in the 2019 draft and projects as a very good defensive center fielder with a potential above-average bat. Juan Sanchez is a young projectable lefty that was very productive in the Dominican Summer League last year.

Snell would slot into Webb’s spot in the Giants rotation and Kiermeier would give the Giants a legitimate alternative to Mauricio Dubon in center field. The Rays could immediately deploy Slater as a platoon bat and Webb in a tweener starter/reliever role, clear payroll, add a top catching prospect, and another pair of lottery tickets.