SF Giants: Internal options who make more sense than trading for a player

The 2023 SF Giants didn't start the season on the best foot, but boy have they ramped things up recently. At 39-32, the club sits in second place in an increasingly-tough NL West division, behind only the Arizona Diamondbacks.

SF Giants: Internal options who make more sense than trading for a player

Thanks to a seven-game win streak and an 8-2 record over their last 10 games, the Giants are firing on all cylinders and actually have the second-highest run differential in all of the National League at +48.

Things have just been working out for the club. Offensive studs like LaMonte Wade Jr., Joc Pederson, Thairo Estrada, JD Davis and Michael Conforto have all stepped up to form one of the more dynamic starting lineups in the league. Rule 5 Draft pick Blake Sabol continues to be a nice find while Patrick Bailey is coming into his own behind the plate as well, meaning the duo is leaving Joey Bart in the dust.

On the pitching side of things, the injuries have been adding up, but this ragtag group of hurlers has been incredibly impressive. Starters Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Cobb have been as advertised, but surprise performances from Ryan Walker, Luke Jackson, Tristan Beck and Jakob Junis have been integral in the team's recent successes. Paired with a lethal back-end trio in Camilo Doval and the Rogers twins, this team may just be figuring it out at the perfect time.

As we near the 2023 trade deadline, more and more trade candidate are beginning to surface around the league. Would a Lucas Giolito or Shane Bieber look great alongside the aforementioned trio of starters? Absolutely. Would someone like Jorge Soler in the middle of the lineup hitting dingers look great as well? Of course.

But let's pump the brakes for a second. What if the Giants could turn to internal candidates around the deadline instead of potentially trading away future building blocks in exchange for rentals? A look at the farm system suggests that that could actually be the smarter move for this up-and-coming organization.

Let's look at 3 internal options who make more sense than trading for a player.

1. Starting pitcher

While the starting pitching corps has been solid for the Giants, there's little doubt that bringing aboard another arm at the trade deadline would be a huge boost for the club. But what if there was a young gun down in Triple-A that could come up to the bigs without costing the team any high-end talent in a trade?

Enter Kyle Harrison.

The 21-year-old southpaw is widely considered to be the very best left-handed pitching prospect in the game, and rightfully so. He spent last year in both High-A and Double-A at just 20-years-old and has since made the jump to the highest level of the minor leagues. Through 14 starts in 2023, he has been lights out.

Harrison has 47.1 innings under his belt this year and the numbers have been great. He has a 3.42 ERA with a whopping 80 strikeouts already (15.2 SO/9) and has surrendered just five home runs. He's still a bit green, as evidenced by his 7.0 BB/9 rate, but he is doing an efficient job at keeping hits and home runs off the board.

Another option for starting pitching depth is Sean Newcomb, who is in Triple-A on a minor league contract. The 30-year-old has found success as a big leaguer over the years in a six-year career and has been off to a nice start with the Giants. In six innings across four outings, he has 10 strikeouts with just one earned run allowed.

Bringing up someone like Harrison or even Newcomb could prove to be smarter for a Giants club that may not be comfortable sacrificing the future for a rental piece.

2. Relief pitching

When it comes to relief pitching, the market is going to be full of names at this year's trade deadline. The Kansas City Royals have already made it known that Scott Barlow and/or Aroldis Chapman are available, while the Chicago White Sox may be looking to ship Reynaldo López and/or Keynan Middleton.

While there are sure to be names that interest the Giants here as well, let's keep the options in-house, because there are some seriously solid pitchers down in the minors that could be big league contributors as soon as this season.

Chris Wright, 24, is another impact left-hander who has quietly been building a case for a big-league roster spot for quite some time now. After posting an ERA of 1.00 in 37 games in 2021 (yes, you read that right), he had a 3.86 ERA in 41 outings last year and currently sports an ERA of 3.81 through 20 appearances this year. He is a high-strikeout pitcher who rarely ever allows home runs or hard contact, so he is certainly one to keep an eye on instead of an overpriced rental.

Elsewhere in the system, Erik Miller, yet another lefty, is doing everything in his power to earn a callup himself. In 23 appearances this season, he has a minuscule 1.69 ERA with 45 strikeouts in just 32 innings. He, like Harrison and Wright before him, rarely ever allows home runs, and actually has yet to surrender one this season. You won't find Miller's name anywhere on top prospect lists, but he's quietly been one of the most dominant relief arms in the Giants' minor league system.

Balancing things out with our first right-handed pitcher, Nick Avila has put up some incredible numbers over the past two seasons. After allowing just seven earned runs in 47 games last year (1.14 ERA), he began this year in Triple-A Sacramento and has continued to be a dominant presence. In 35.1 innings and 26 outings, Avila has a 3.57 ERA and has done an efficient job at limiting baserunners in his outings.