3 players the SF Giants should consider moving at the 2024 trade deadline

With a 48-53 record, the SF Giants are looking more and more like potential sellers at the 2024 trade deadline. While they do not have a ton of assets to move, there are a few players where it makes sense to move them now if they decide to sell.

3 players the SF Giants should consider moving at the 2024 trade deadline

The Giants have a couple of potential rentals in Michael Conforto and Alex Cobb. That said, Cobb has been on the injured list all season, so moving him seems unlikely. On the other hand, Conforto is having a solid season at the plate with a .734 OPS and 10 home runs in 282 plate appearances. Despite this, Conforto does not offer much value elsewhere.

The Giants could be motivated to get the remainder of Conforto's contract off of the books given that they are projected to exceed the $237 million Competitive Balance Tax (CBT). Camilo Doval could be an appealing trade piece despite a down year on the mound. He does have multiple years of team control remaining and that has a lot of value to a bullpen-needy team.

However, there are a few other players who make sense. Players who are still on their rookie contracts with more than one year of control remaining do make sense. Team control has value to teams regardless of whether it is at the trade deadline or in the offseason. The Giants have to ask whether these types of players are in their long-term plans. If not, then moving them now makes sense.

1. LaMonte Wade Jr.

Admittedly, this would not be a popular move, but hear me out. LaMonte Wade Jr. is in the midst of another stellar season at the plate. He is slashing .306/.431/.416 (148 wRC+) with three home runs, 19 RBI, and 28 runs in 216 plate appearances. This includes a 17.6 percent walk rate and a 22.2 percent strikeout rate.

Every team would benefit from having Wade Jr. in their lineup. The Giants lineup would be far worse off by moving him, so why should they consider a move?

Wade Jr. is under team control through the end of next season. He becomes a free agent after that. At this point, his value will not be any higher.

The Giants have to ask whether they see Wade Jr. being on the team beyond 2025? In 2026, he would be entering his age-32 season, which is not old in baseball. However, given the number of leg injuries he has sustained in recent seasons, he is becoming more limited to first base. In fact, playing in the outfield may be out of the question at this point.

Unfortunately, first base is one of the easiest positions to replace even if it would be nearly impossible to replace his bat. That is why trading him now has some rationale to it. The Giants have few assets with higher value than Wade Jr. that they would be willing to move. He would be a popular trade target and they could get a modest prospect haul in return. It is a quick way to add some talent back into the farm system.

3 players the SF Giants should consider moving at the 2024 trade deadline

2. Mike Yastrzemski

Mike Yastrzemski is in the midst of another quality season at the plate. He has registered a .244/.320/.444 line (118 wRC+) with eight home runs, 31 RBI, and 31 runs in 251 plate appearances. This includes an 8.8 percent walk rate, 27.9 percent strikeout rate, and a .200 ISO.

Plus, he plays above-average defense in right field. Oddly, he is arguably the team's best center fielder currently on the active roster, but Heliot Ramos has been used primarily in center field over the past few months.

Yastrzemski does a lot of things well despite not having a standout tool. The Giants are better when he is in the lineup both offensively and defensively. The 33-year-old has often been labeled as a fourth outfielder, but I would push back against this by pointing out that there are few teams where his production would not be among the three top outfielders.

Even a team like the New York Yankees with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the outfield could use a better third piece to the puzzle. They currently have Alex Verdugo with Trent Grisham serving as the fourth outfielder. Yastrzemski is better than both Verdugo and Grisham. Admittedly, a Yastrzemski in a Yankees uniform would certainly look weird for Boston Red Sox fans.

Similar to LaMonte Wade Jr., Yastrzemski is under contract through the 2025 season. The Giants have to ask whether they will even keep the veteran outfielder after this season. He is arbitration-eligible one more time before hitting free agency.

Even if the answer is yes, the team has to ask themselves whether they plan on keeping him beyond the 2025 season. If they do, he will be entering his age-35 season in 2026. That seems unlikely, so moving him now makes sense. The return may not be quite on the same level as Wade Jr., but with more than one year of team control remaining, they could still get a mid-level prospect.