3 of the best trades the SF Giants can make to upgrade the starting rotation

3 of the best trades the SF Giants can make to upgrade the starting rotation

1. Corbin Burnes

Corbin Burnes would be an ideal trade target for the SF Giants. He has been one of the best starters in the National League league for years now as the ace of the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff. He won a Cy Young award in 2021, and his name has been mentioned as a trade candidate this offseason.

Last year with the Brewers, Burnes had a 10-8 record with a 3.39 ERA in 32 games started. He had 200 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.07 in just over 193 innings pitched. 

These numbers are not as good as the previous two years were for Burnes, but they are still exceptional. He has received an All-Star nod each of the last three seasons and is 29 years old. 

One catch is that Burnes will be a free agent after the 2024 season. It is possible that if the Giants traded for him they could work out a long-term deal so they don’t have to worry about him walking away and probably joining the Dodgers in 2025. 

I would say that Burnes would be just as good, if not better, of an acquisition as signing Blake Snell would be. Burnes has a much lower career walk rate and is two years younger than Snell while featuring just as nasty stuff. 

It would likely take some valuable trade pieces to land him, but there is no doubt getting Burnes would be a huge addition to the Giants' rotation. One way or the other, Burnes will be connected to the Giants over the next 12 months. He went to college at Saint Mary's College, which is just about an hour away from Oracle Park.

3 of the best trades the SF Giants can make to upgrade the starting rotation

2. Dylan Cease

The SF Giants could also target White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease for a trade. Cease is a 28-year-old right-hander who has had some solid seasons in the South Side of Chicago.

In 2023, Cease had some struggles as he had a record of 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA in 33 games started. This was a far cry from the 14-8 record and 2.20 ERA he posted in 2022.

It’s possible that opposing hitters simply started to catch on more to Cease last season. 

Perhaps a change of scenery and a new pitching coach is what Cease needs to get back on track.

The Giants certainly have a proven track record of making some tweaks to pitchers who have had success in the past to help them rekindle their former selves. Look no further than Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafani.

It is also worth noting that Cease is not set to become a free agent until after the 2025 season. That means two years of team control on a young starter with a lot of upside. Team control holds a lot of value in trade talks.

Like Burnes, it would probably take one, if not more, of the Giants' young pitching prospects to land Cease. But it may be worth it as they try to shore up their rotation. 

3 of the best trades the SF Giants can make to upgrade the starting rotation

3. Jesús Luzardo

Another pitcher the SF Giants could target via trade is left-handed Miami Marlins pitcher Jesús Luzardo . Like Burnes and Cease, there has been reporting that Luzardo’s name has come up in trade talks.

2023 was a solid season for Luzardo. He had a 10-10 record with a 3.58 ERA in 32 games started. He also had an impressive 208 strikeouts in 178 and 2/3 innings pitched.

Luzardo features impressive breaking stuff and at the age of 26, he still has a lot of upside as a guy who could evolve into a frontline starter if he is not there already. He also has 3 years of club control remaining which means he could factor into a team’s plans for years to come.

He would immediately be a great addition to the San Francisco Giants' pitching staff and would slot in nicely after Logan Webb in the number 2 slot in the rotation. 

However, like Burnes and Cease, it will not be easy to acquire him. The Marlins will want a hefty return especially since he has so many years of team control remaining. The Marlins are not necessarily in a position where they need to move the five-year veteran, but given his age and the fact that he has multiple years of team control, they could receive a massive haul.

All three of these starting pitchers would make the Giants a better team in 2024. As it seems like they may need to be a pitching and defense first team if they want to compete going forward, it would make sense for the Giants to target one or more of these pitchers to turn their pitching staff into an elite one.