Exploring which young SF Giants pitcher has the most trade value

As the SF Giants consider upgrading their roster via trade, most of their valuable trade chips are position players. This begs the question: which young pitcher on the team has the most trade value?

The Giants had to ask themselves this same question last year when trading away Kyle Harrison to the Boston Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade. Ultimately, the Giants decided they were willing to part with Harrison.

Taking a look at the trade value of 3 young SF Giants pitchers

Now, looking at the organization’s top prospect list, the top pitching prospect they have is Carson Whisenhunt. The left-hander debuted with the Giants last season and showed some promise, but also looked like he was outmatched at times and gave up an alarming number of home runs.

In five starts last season, Whisenhunt had a 5.01 ERA in 23 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts compared to 12 walks with 6 homers allowed. He had one very strong start against the New York Mets but was shaky outside of that.

Another interesting young pitcher is Hayden Birdsong. He has shown promise in his first two big league seasons but he completely fell off last season after being promoted to the starting rotation.

Birdsong began the season in a relief role and thrived. He had a 2.31 ERA as a reliever before being promoted to the rotation after the struggles of Jordan Hicks. After a dismal start in Atlanta where he walked four batters and didn’t record an out, he was sent down to the minors. Things did not improve there as his command was still an issue.

However, he is still young and there is still plenty of upside. Another team may be willing to take a chance on him betting they could help fix his mechanics.

Carson Seymour is another young arm who could draw some interest. He had a 4.75 ERA last season in 16 appearances as both a starter and a reliever. He pitched 36 innings and had 26 strikeouts and 13 walks while allowing 9 home runs. He features a high-velocity sinker but the home run numbers are alarming.

So which of these young arms is the best trade chip? Birdsong has shown more potential at the big league level and is a more raw talent while Whisenhunt and Seymour did not do great in a limited sample size.

Birdsong is probably the most intriguing chip for other teams based on that raw ability so maybe the Giants could help get a decent return if he was included in a trade package this offseason.