SF Giants: Could reliever Mychal Givens become a trade target?

The SF Giants are off to a great start in the 2021 season. For much of the year, they have had the best record in MLB and have been impressive in basically all aspects of the game. However, we know that the bullpen has been the main Achilles’ heel for the team thus far. This article will examine why Colorado Rockies reliever Mychal Givens would be a great trade target for the Giants.

To be fair, the bullpen has been fairly solid for the Giants as of late. Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee have really come into their own as effective 8th and 9th inning arms and others like Zack Littell and Dominic Leone have proven effective as well. Plus, the team just got reliever John Brebbia, who has been effective with the St. Louis Cardinals in the past, back from injury.

The SF Giants should definitely target Rockies reliever Mychal Givens.

However, the Giants bullpen is still far from elite. It would be surprising if the Giants did not try to make one or two moves before the trade deadline to supplement the bullpen because we know how important a strong bullpen is when trying to make a playoff run.

That is why the Giants should target a right-handed reliever like Givens. Givens has had a solid year for the Rockies, posting a 2.78 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. That’s even more impressive when you consider that he has had to pitch in Coors Field for many of his outings. Giants analyst Shawn Estes also considers Givens to be an enticing trade target for the Giants, especially because he has yet to surrender a run away from Coors Field this season.

Prior to his stint with the Rockies, he was a reliever for many years with the Baltimore Orioles where he had a number of solid seasons. Givens has a fastball in the mid-90’s, a changeup, and a really effective slider thanks to his three-quarter delivery.

Given how mightily the Rockies have struggled in 2021, they are likely looking to trade some nonessential pieces. Also, if you are worried that the Rockies would be reluctant to trade with a division rival, just remember that Marco Scutaro was acquired from the Rockies back in 2012.

The Giants may have to give up a fairly decent player or two to acquire Givens. Last year, the Rockies gave up their No. 7 and No. 14 ranked prospects to the Orioles in exchange for Givens. However, with one fewer year of team control, only one top-30 prospect like Alexander Canario or Gregory Santos alongside another depth piece could be enough to make a deal. Perhaps, if the Giants wanted to free up the outfield logjam a little bit, they could trade someone like Austin Slater.

As long as the asking price from the Rockies is reasonable, trading for Givens would be well worth it. If the Giants acquired Givens, they would most likely have a solid 7th or 8th inning man to complement Rogers and McGee at the back of the bullpen.

We know how important a bullpen can be if a team has aspirations of playing deep into October. Mychal Givens could be the arm that turns the SF Giants bullpen from below average to above average and helps them make the postseason.