The SF Giants are one of the most obvious buyers heading into the final days before the MLB trade deadline. While they reportedly have interest in some well-known outfielders, there are a bevy of moves they could make to sure up their roster. They could attempt to add a premium closer, as my colleague Marc Delucchi suggested, or look for some more under-the-radar reinforcements. Regardless, sellers around the league are examining San Francisco’s farm system looking for prospects they would be interested in. Here’s a list of five prospects that the Giants might be willing to part with that other teams should target.
SF Giants prospects to target: 1. Seth Corry, LHP
If we are being honest, Seth Corry is not having a good 2021 season. The soon-to-be 23-year old left-hander entered the season ranked among the best prospects in the organization but has a 5.98 ERA this season at High-A. The biggest issue that surrounds Corry is that he has struggled to throw strikes all season long, posting a career-worst 20.4% walk rate, more than double the league average. Corry’s FIP is a concerning 5.25 as well even as he flashes the tools that made him a top prospect.
For all the struggles that Corry has throwing strikes, his stuff is still nasty. His 88 strikeouts this season ranks fifth among all Giants pitchers, his 31.5% strikeout rate ranks fourth and his 13.5 K/9 is tied for third-highest among all Giants pitchers in full-season ball. His 12.8% swinging-strike rate is seventh-best among all Giants pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched and he has a 33.33% whiff rate. He still has the feel for throwing the curveball for a quality strike but virtually nonexistent fastball command continues to cause him problems.
Even though Corry’s value is at its lowest this season, there are still teams who would value an arm that is still capable of striking out guys. The example that is sticking out to me the most is when the Giants traded Matt Krook as part of the Evan Longoria trade. 2016 fourth-round pick has plenty of similarities to Corry: both are left-handed pitchers who are strong athletes that have the ability to spin a breaking ball for quality strikes but have high-maintenance deliveries that resulted in them having sustained control issues. Plenty of teams could value Corry’s swing and miss stuff enough to include him as a second or third prospect in a major deal at the deadline. Given his youth, and relatively recent success at Low-A in 2019, another front office should jump at the chance to add him in a deal and see if their player development staff can help him make some adjustments.