Grading the SF Giants trade of Mike Yastrzemski to the Kansas City Royals

The SF Giants made three trades at the trade deadline. This includes sending Mike Yastrzemski to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitching prospect Yunior Marte. How did they do in that deal?

Grading the SF Giants trade of Mike Yastrzemski to the Kansas City Royals

I will caution that grading trades so quickly after the trade deadline can often be an exercise in futility. The full impact of the deal may not be realized for years.

Overall grade: B

What I liked

The Camilo Doval trade came in with just a few minutes to spare before the trade deadline. This was followed by the Yastrzemski trade that came in the final moments.

Perhaps, the best value the Giants get in this deal is opening up playing time in right field. The veteran outfielder had handled that position well for San Francisco. Even when he slumped, he still played good defense in a difficult park for right field.

Yastrzemski often gave the Giants the best chance to win at that position, and that is why he continued to see his name in the lineup. If anyone had showed the potential to supplant him in right field, then he may have been moved well before the trade deadline.

When the trade was completed, it looked like Luis Matos would have the inside track for playing time. The Giants also called to Grant McCray. However, some of those expectations were immediately upended as Matos was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday. Jerar Encarnación took his place on the roster.

In Yunior Marte, the Giants add a pitcher prospect who ranked among the better pitchers in the Royals' farm system. For two months of Yastrzemski, that alone feels like a good deal. Marte currently ranks as the No. 25 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. If he even reaches the majors, it will be a good reflection of the Giants' pro scouting.

The right-handed pitcher posted a 2.74 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 20 walks in 82 innings in Low-A this season. He features a mid-90's four-seam fastball that tops out at 97 MPH. He mixes in a mid-80's slider and changeup. He relies on his slider as his primary secondary option. It gets some two-plane tilt. The changeup has some good fading action, but it could benefit from more velocity separation from his fastball.

This also felt like a good deal in finding a landing spot for Yastrzemski. The Royals are planning to compete for a playoff spot, and the left-handed bat can certainly help.

What I did not like

This is not directly related to the trade, but more of its aftermath. The Giants want to see what Jerar Encarnación can do with a longer look, but that feels like a missed opportunity for that open playing time.

One of the problems with the Giants' 40-man roster at the moment is that they have a lot of outfield options, but many of whom have flaws that prevent them from being an everyday outfielder or even a backup outfielder. Luis Matos has struggled through 529 career plate appearances. Grant McCray has not shown improvement in his in-zone contract rate from last season. Marco Luciano and Wade Meckler are not performing in a way that merits a promotion. Of course, the same could be said for Matos and McCray.

It just feels like a missed opportunity that the Giants do not have an outfielder in the upper minors to take up some of that playing time that was originally earmarked for Yastrzemski. Perhaps, new Giants outfield prospect Drew Gilbert now makes the most sense.