Ranking the top 3 SF Giants needs for the trade deadline

2. Middle infielder

While rotation help is clearly the biggest need, middle infield help is not far behind. With Thairo Estrada (hand fracture) and Brandon Crawford (knee inflammation) both on the injured list, the focus has shifted to less experienced options such as Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely.

Schmitt got off to a strong start, but he has just a .126 batting average in 97 plate appearances since the start of June. Teams have taken advantage of his aggressive approach and the team has been working with him on becoming more selective. The process has been slow.

On the other hand, Wisely has struggled to the tune of a .548 OPS in 109 plate appearances this season. That said, he has played well at second base. If he is able to muster any type of offensive production, it is not hard envisioning him becoming a solid role player.

The Schmitt-Wisely combination is extremely light on experience, but they can play capably up the middle. Though, the Giants could use some more offensive production from the middle infield.

The easy part is identifying the issue, so my job is done! I will leave the rest of the work up to the front office.

There are not many quality middle infield options, so I am not sure there is an obvious upgrade on the trade market. There are some imperfect fits such as Matt Duffy (Kansas City Royals), Paul Dejong (St. Louis Cardinals) or Zack McKinstry (Detroit Tigers).

Of course, Tim Anderson should be available from the Chicago White Sox, but he is having a miserable 2023 campaign. The middle infield is an obvious area to upgrade, but there are not many obvious options on the market.