2 SF Giants trade rumors we hope come true, 1 we hope doesn't happen

The Giants trading for Justin Verlander would be amazing, but costly

It pretty much goes without saying that Justin Verlander carries with him the level of star power that is normally not available at the trade deadline. His track record of being one of the best pitchers of this generation is unimpeachable and with the Mets clearly accepting the fact that 2023 is a lost cause with their move to send Max Scherzer to the Rangers, Verlander could also be on the move.

Verlander isn't just a sexy name to mention out of the blue. For at least a week now, the Giants have been reported as interested in Verlander's services by Jon Morosi and others. San Francisco has the prospects to get that level of deal done if they wanted to and are certainly close enough on paper to make a deep playoff run to be motivated to explore it.

Getting Verlander would give the Giants the impact rotation arm that they desperately want especially if JV's recent strong run of play continues. While 2023 did not start off great for Verlander, he has looked like his vintage Cy Young winning self the last couple of months. The rest of the starting pitching market is looking pretty grim right now especially with Jordan Montgomery and Lucas Giolito already being dealt, so Verlander may be the Giants' best shot at getting a high ceiling arm.

There are a couple wrinkles in this plan for the Giants. First and foremost, Verlander would be expensive both in terms of prospects and money. He is making north of $43 million this year and in 2024 and has a vesting option at $35 million for 2025 which is a lot of dollars for an older pitcher and a lot of team control which boosts his trade value.

Second, the Mets may prefer to keep him because of that very team control in the event that they try to retool their roster quickly and try and compete next season. Steven Cohen needs to get SOMETHING for all of that money he has spent after all. Finally, Verlander has a full no-trade clause that he would have to waive before any deal could happen and it is unclear as to whether or not he would do so.

Paul DeJong just isn't who the Giants need at the trade deadline

Paul DeJong is a fine baseball player. He is a legitimately good defender that can play shortstop or second base and his overall production generally averages out to being a useful, if unexciting, big league regular on a decent team most seasons.

However, the Giants' roster even with Thairo Estrada out has plenty of guys that are in the "pretty decent" camp where DeJong resides. What San Francisco needs from a position player trade is significant offensive production and that is not where DeJong excels, although that hasn't seemed to deter the Giants from looking into DeJong anyways.

For the last four seasons including 2023, DeJong has posted below average or worse wRC+ at the plate (87, 85, 55, and 98 respectively the last four years). He does have some raw pop in his bat, but when a guy's current slash line of .236/.300/.417 (which is not good) is the best line he has posted at the plate in three years, one has to wonder if he is worth devoting much time and energy into acquiring.

Another problem with DeJong is the potential cost to acquire him unless the Cardinals are more reasonable than expected. DeJong has two club options on his contract after this season of $12.5 million and $15 million respectively. On the one hand, that gives whichever team that acquires him a lot of flexibility with his team control which is good.

However, that potential team control and flexibility is also going to be priced into his trade value and giving up a significant package of prospects for a guy that is a pretty meh player overall doesn't seem like the best use of the Giants' time and resources.

Alex Wood getting traded at the deadline could signal some big changes for the Giants

It is certainly weird to include a rumor here where the Giants trade away a player at a trade deadline when they should be buyers, but bear with us. Alex Wood may be loaded with talent, but there is no denying that he has some durability concerns and his production on the mound the last couple of years has been pretty disappointing. His 4.75 ERA this season isn't terrible per se, but his peripherals are worse than that with severe regression in his strikeout and walk rates being particularly notable.

As a pending free agent, Wood is ideally suited to be a guy that the Giants could deal at the trade deadline while still being buyers. He isn't producing at a particularly high level and if the Giants were to add a starter in a trade, it is Wood's job that could be on the chopping block anyways. Fortunately, it does seem like there is real interest in Wood from around the league, although specifics on which teams have been pretty sparse so far.

If the Giants hang on to Alex, that probably means that they aren't going to make a substantial addition in their rotation and will have him around as, at minimum, an insurance policy. That could be the right decision given how gross the rumored prices are for starting pitching on the trade market right now.

However, if the Giants were willing and able to move Wood for a decent return (albeit for a rental), it would get his money off the books for 2023 and also could tell us something about their plans. Moving Wood would likely mean that the Giants were going to make a real upgrade in their starting rotation and if that comes to pass, San Francisco could benefit from both sides of the market.

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