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

The MLB trade deadline is just a couple days away and the San Francisco Giants have been decidedly quiet. That isn't particularly unusual as not every team is like the Angels and Rangers who are seemingly in on every trade candidate on the market. A lot of teams just prefer to operate in the shadows and wait for the right time and opportunity to strike.

However, this trade deadline is a bit unique with the lack of available players. There are so many teams that are theoretically in contention for a playoff spot and that has meant players that could normally be had in trade just aren't being made available. Combine that with some teams that are so bad that they don't have talent worth trading for and you have a trade market heavily slanted in the few sellers' favor and a pretty serious lack of supply overall.

Fortunately, the Giants do seem to be motivated to improve and have the resources to do so. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks almost certainly won't be quiet at the deadline and Farhan Zaidi and co. know that. With the Giants needing to adding some pitching help and looking for potential upgrades across the roster, they are already connected to some pretty interesting names.

Here are 2 SF Giants rumors we hope happen and 1 we would prefer not

The Giants are one of those teams that prefer to have their intentions remain under wraps when possible. Sure, when they were after high profile guys like Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, their interest was going to leak out, but they generally run a pretty tight ship. However, there have been some whispers connecting them to some players that certainly don't seem like just idle jabbering from writers trying to fill column inches.

Let's take a look at a couple Giants rumors that would be sweet to see happen and one that the Giants should probably pass on.

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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