6 bullpen trade targets for the SF Giants at the trade deadline

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With the All-Star break out of the way, the San Francisco Giants enter the second half firmly in the mix both in the NL West and in the wild card race. Injuries to key players like Thairo Estrada have certainly put a damper on things, but the Giants are still in a pretty decent spot to make a run at the playoffs.

Nothing is certain here and with a ton of competition for playoff spots this year in the National League, the Giants are going to need to stay aggressive at the trade deadline. With their top prospect in the minors, Kyle Harrison, getting hurt, it is highly likely the Giants will target starting pitching and an impact bat would be nice, too, although the market is not good for that sort of player.

However, one area that every contending team should look at making upgrades at the deadline is in the bullpen. The Giants' bullpen has been quite good to be sure, but with some injuries to guys like Luke Jackson and John Brebbia, San Francisco's depth there is getting tested. Moreover, there is no shortage of quality bullpen arms available at the deadline this year.

Here are some trade targets for the SF Giants to help upgrade the bullpen

The reliever market this year has a nice mix of rest-of-the-season rentals as well as guys that have some team control. The Giants have a good sense of the guys that can provide value in the big leagues, so both ends of the market should be in play for them. We'll be providing options that will be free agents at the end of the season as well as guys who have some team control as a result.

Lets take a look at which relievers the Giants should target at the trade deadline.

Keynan Middleton should be a trade deadline target for the SF Giants

Keynan Middleton is shaping up to be one of the top rental relievers on the trade market this year. His Statcast profile for 2023 looks quite good and the White Sox are certainly going to at least be selling off pending free agents with this year looking like a wash.

There is some concern that the demand for Middleton's services will drive his price up even as a rental, but Middleton's improved strikeout rate (11.5 K/9) makes him a worthy gamble for the Giants.

Trading for Scott Barlow would take the Giants' bullpen to the next level

Barlow's name was on most trade deadline target lists before the season even started because the Royals, well, are probably going to be in a perennial state of "not good" for a while.

Barlow is having a down year by his standards as his 4.09 ERA and 4.4 BB/9 are big dropoffs from what we saw from him the last couple of years. However, he is also striking out more batters than he ever has and would come with an extra year of team control as well. A lot of teams are going to be calling the Royals on Barlow, but the Giants should at least check in here.

Jason Foley would be a great trade deadline move for the Giants in the long-term

If you are looking for an option that could be a part of the Giants' bullpen for a while, the Tigers have an interesting guy in Jason Foley who is under team control through the 2027 season.

Foley has been one of the better relievers in the American League this season with a 2.09 ERA and miniscule 1.6 BB/9 walk rate. He throws hard and gets guys to chase pitches out of the zone. If the Giants were able to pry Foley away from Detroit (which is far from certain), he could really blossom in San Francisco. He wouldn't come cheap, though.

Brent Suter is one of the top rental relievers on the market and the Giants should try to grab him

Trading within the division is always tough, but it isn't like the Rockies are going to be competing anytime soon. Aside from that wrinkle, Brent Suter is another rental reliever the Giants need to be looking at.

Aside from being a pending free agent, Suter is a lefty which is always nice and he brings with him some deception and the ability to limit hard contact at elite levels. Some of his pitching peripherals aren't great since he doesn't throw hard or miss a ton of bats, but the ability to give the Giants some deception from the left side could be very valuable assuming the in-division premium isn't too terrible.

Kendall Graveman would be a nice pick up for the Giants for 2023 and 2024

Another guy that comes with an extra year of team control is Kendal Graveman from the White Sox. Chicago is certainly going to be an active seller of relievers, but there is a chance that they will want to keep Graveman around to run things back in 2024.

However, our guess is that Graveman will get moved and the Giants should be all over him if he is available at a reasonable price. The walk rate isn't great, but the rest of his pitching peripherals range from good to really good. His stuff is also playing on the field to the tune of a 2.93 ERA in 41 appearances this season.

Hunter Harvey could be an interesting trade deadline target if the Giants think they fix him

This is more of a long shot given that Harvey has a bunch of team control left and has been giving up a lot more hard contact than you would like to see from a guy with his stuff.

However, the Giants coach pitching really, really well. While some of Harvey's issues are difficult to teach (especially his lack of fastball spin), his 3.20 ERA shows that he has found a way to make things work in the big leagues and some adjustments could point to some big time upside for a guy that throws this hard. The price is going to determine a lot here, but Harvey could be a fun long-term project for the bullpen.

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