A response to a proposed J.D. Davis trade between SF Giants and Pirates

Recently, our friends at Rum Bunter, a FanSided site that covers the Pittsburgh Pirates, proposed a trade between the SF Giants and the Pirates that would send third baseman J.D. Davis to the Pirates in exchange for pitcher Bailey Falter. We are submitting our counterproposal.

A response to a proposed J.D. Davis trade between SF Giants and Pirates

In the proposed trade the Giants would receive left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter. He is a starting pitcher that has a pretty rough track record in the major leagues. Last year saw him record an ERA of 5.36 in 18 games, 14 of them starts, pitched between the Pirates and Phillies.

Plus, he has gotten off to a rough start in Spring Training thus far, surrendering 6 earned runs, 11 hits, and 2 home runs in 6 innings pitched. It is understandable why the Pirates would want to get rid of him based on those struggles, but Davis should get a better return than that.

The Giants would probably be better served having their young pitchers like Mason Black or Kai-Wei Teng pitch early in the year rather than a pitcher who has been knocked around a lot recently.

A trade between the Pirates and Giants involving Davis could still work, but the Giants would be wise to be a bit more ambitious in what they can get in return for the infielder.

One need that the Giants currently have is a left-handed reliever. They have Taylor Rogers, but outside of him, the options are not clear. Amir Garrett is in camp as a non-roster-invite and they have Erik Miller, but both of them have question marks surrounding how effective they will be.

In enters left-handed reliever Ryan Borucki. Borucki is coming off a really solid 2023 campaign that saw him have an ERA of 2.45 in 40 innings pitched, almost entirely out of the bullpen. It is questionable whether Borucki can replicate that success in 2024, but his low walk rate and ability to pound the strike zone are traits that are consistent with the organizational philosophy of the Giants.

This would be a fair trade for both sides. The Giants would be filling a need by getting a left-handed reliever and the Pirates would be getting a solid hitter who can play both corner infield spots and serve as a DH.

The Giants acquiring Matt Chapman makes trading Davis seem inevitable, and this particular trade would make sense for both the Giants and Pirates ahead of the 2024 regular season.