3 reasons why the SF Giants will not be able to sell at the MLB trade deadline

The SF Giants are on the playoff bubble at the moment. With a 40-43 record, they sit 2.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the third and final Wild Card spot. Even if they hit a rough patch in July, it will be tough for the front office to sell.

3 reasons why the SF Giants will not be able to sell at the MLB trade deadline

1. Expiring Contracts and player options

The Giants spent a bunch of money in the offseason to push for a playoff spot for the first time since 2021 and the second time in Farhan Zaidi's tenure. Unfortunately, that spending spree has saddled them with several contracts that approach immovable even if the Giants decided to move on.

Blake Snell and Robbie Ray will be Giants in 2025 as both players have player options and neither is looking like they'll have any interest in opting out. Wilmer Flores has a player option for $3.5 million in 2025, but due to his struggles, he will be extremely difficult to move and will likely opt-in and remain on the Giants in 2025.

They are unlikely to get anything for Alex Cobb, who may not even see the field before the All-Star break. Michael Conforto got off to a hot start but has cooled since then and he currently has a -6.2 surplus trade value according to Baseball Trade Values showing his lack of value. Curt Casali was acquired for nothing and will get nothing in return. Luke Jackson has been terrible and is making $6.5 million this season with a club option for 2025.

Maybe someone takes a chance but it's doubtful. Only Austin Slater (1.6 BTV surplus) and Nick Ahmed (.9 BTV surplus) have positive trade value surpluses and are on expiring contracts. Neither will fetch much more than a low-level lottery ticket in return.

That's it, that is every expiring contract on the Giants roster, not a single one would fetch anything significant in a trade. In addition to expiring contracts, trying to trade players with options can be tricky. There are too many variables at play and teams are generally reluctant to acquire those with player options.