3 pitching prospects the SF Giants should target at the trade deadline

As the August 3rd trade deadline looms, Buster Posey and the SF Giants are fielding offers from all over the league. The team is in an odd spot despite a record that makes them clear sellers, with a core of players signed for the next several years and no desire to rebuild. Given their plans to contend in 2027 and beyond, this could be the team's last chance to add significant pitching depth to a farm system that has recently attained respectability for the first time in years.

The Giants' system is heavy on position players, with their top prospects (and recent blue-chip graduate Bryce Eldridge) all being infielders, and their highest-potential pitchers (Keyner Martinez, Jacob Bresnahan) are still in the lower levels for now. They began fortifying their pitching with this year's draft class, which was headlined by the top available arm, UCSB right-hander Jackson Flora, and included a few of the most promising high school pitchers available.

Still, the future of the starting rotation and bullpen are, for the most part, wide open, and pitching – particularly at the upper levels – remains a clear need for the system. With that in mind, here are three pitching prospects the Giants should target from some of their most obvious trade partners.

3 young pitching prospects Giants should try to get at trade deadline

Ty Johnson, RHP, Rays

Johnson, ranked by MLB.com as the Rays' #10 prospect, is the type of near-big league ready arm the Giants are likely looking for. After dealing with a back injury at the beginning of the season, he has performed well in his first taste of Triple-A ball, posting a 3.26 ERA across 11 games (10 starts), and he appears on track for a promotion early in 2027, if not sooner.

He relies almost exclusively on two pitches, which means there is some risk he will end up as a reliever, but the Giants are in a perfect spot to find out if he can stick in the rotation. They could promote him in September and see what they have – and even if he falls into a relief role, lord knows the bullpen needs the help.

The Rays are great potential trade partners for a number of reasons. Their farm system is incredibly deep, and they have a penchant for developing pitchers, so they should have no trouble parting with an arm or two from the upper levels. They are also one of the only actually good American League teams this year and are, in theory, a perfect fit for second baseman Luis Arraez – they were the worst team at the keystone on FanGraphs' Replacement Level Killers list, and their presumtive in-house replacement, Gavin Lux, is currently slugging .298 in Triple-A. The only real question is whether Tampa Bay sees things the same way.

Brody McCullough, RHP, Cubs

On one level, the Cubs are the perfect trade partners for this Giants team. It is possible no contender has ever been this down bad for pitching at a trade deadline, and San Francisco has arms to deal. Robbie Ray will fetch the biggest return, but Chicago is so desperate for innings that SF could package him with someone like Tyler Mahle or JT Brubaker and enhance their haul even more.

The only problem is the Cubs' system. It is middle-of-the-pack at best, and the top end is particularly light on pitching. The best bet for San Francisco is to target a package of players from the middle of their system rather than try to pry away one of their few competent upper-level arms.

McCullough, a 2022 10th-rounder who has dealt with a litany of injuries in his minor league career thus far, could be part of such a package. After missing all of last year and more than half of this one, the 26-year-old returned to Double-A two weeks ago and has looked sharp in his first two starts off the IL. If he stays healthy – and, given his history, that's a big if – he has the potential to slot into a big-league rotation someday, and he would immediately provide depth to the Giants' system in the upper minors.

Mason Adams, RHP, White Sox

If the Northsiders don't bite, the Giants could turn to their crosstown rivals, surprising contenders who are rumored to be in the market for starting pitching. The 34-year-old Ray would be an excellent fit to lead Chicago's inexperienced rotation down the stretch, and in contrast to the Cubs, the Sox have upper-level pitching depth they can afford to deal away.

Adams returned from Tommy John surgery this year and has had a solid season so far, posting a 3.82 ERA in Triple-A while punching out a batter per inning. He is likely not stretched out enough to help the big league team this year, and with him stuck behind names like Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, and Tanner McDougal on the organizational depth chart, it makes sense for the White Sox to part with him despite their contention window opening early. With a balanced arsenal and plus command, the righty would have a strong chance to earn for a spot in the Giants' 2027 rotation.

The Giants have a great chance to get some good prospects in the coming days so they need to take advantage of this bad season and capitalize on the opportunity.

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