Proposed SF Giants trade sees team land power threat from Oakland

The SF Giants are struggling heading into the trade deadline. While their pitching staff appears pretty solid, they could benefit from an extra bat or two which is why a proposed trade between the Giants and A's that would bring in Miguel Andujar could make sense.

Proposed SF Giants trade sees team land power threat from Oakland

This proposed trade comes courtesy of Tim Kelly at Bleacher Report. Kelly argues in his article that the biggest need of the Giants right now is a right-handed outfield bat since the team is currently having to rely on left-handers Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto in the corner outfield spots.

The irony here is that the Giants just parted ways with Austin Slater, a right-handed hitting outfielder who historically had great success against left-handed pitching until this season. The plan was to have Luis Matos take the bulk of his at-bats but the Giants have not faced a ton of lefties recently which is why Matos has not seen a ton of action. That is why he was sent back down to Triple-A, so he can get more consistent at-bats.

To replace him, the Giants added right-handed outfielder Derek Hill. Hill is a solid outfielder who can play all three outfield positions but his offense leaves much to be desired. He has a career batting average of .231 and does not boast much power either. Perhaps Andujar could be an upgrade over that.

If you look at Andujar's stats, they are a bit confusing. Back in 2018 with the Yankees he slashed .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI in 572 at-bats. He has never matched that offensive production since, possibly due to a shoulder injury he suffered in 2019 that required surgery.

He is having a solid 2024 with the Oakland A's, though. He is currently slashing .297/.321/.411 with 4 home runs and 26 RBI. He has raked against lefties as well, hitting .484 in 31 at-bats against southpaws.

If the Giants were to trade for him, they would essentially be getting the offensive production they expected from Slater. It is not a massive move by any means, but it is one of those marginal moves that Farhan Zaidi loves to make around the deadline.

The Giants would probably not have to give up too much to get him and he could help balance the corner outfield and be a solid threat against lefties. It is not a blockbuster, but it could help the Giants in 2024.