This SF Giants outfielder is the next domino to fall after Austin Slater trade

The SF Giants traded outfielder Austin Slater on Sunday. They may not be done dealing veteran outfielders, though. Could either Mike Yastrzemski or Michael Conforto also be on the move before the trade deadline passes?

This SF Giants outfielder is the next domino to fall after Austin Slater trade

Trading Austin Slater is not a decision the Giants arrived at lightly. Slater has been a valuable player for the team for a number of years but he was just struggling too much this season to justify keeping him on the team. Plus, with the emergence of All-Star Heliot Ramos and the emergence, albeit less pronounced, of Luis Matos there really was not room for a third right-handed hitting outfielder on the big league roster.

The move to deal Slater also made sense considering the fact that there was bound to be a roster crunch with several players set to return from the IL in the coming weeks. The Giants are going to need to clear room for the likes of Thairo Estrada, Wilmer Flores, Blake Snell, Alex Cobb, and Robbie Ray.

They may not be done trading away veteran outfielders, though. They still have Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski, two veteran left-handed hitting outfielders who are a little bit redundant on the roster. Both have similar skill sets with Conforto probably being a better hitter while Yastrzemski is the better outfielder.

Conforto is the better trade chip since he is a free agent after this season so a team could acquire him essentially as a rental. He also has more upside than Yastrzemski so the Giants would probably get more for him.

Plus, given the leadership role Yastrzemski has on the team and the fact that he is one of the longest-tenured players on the team, it may be a bit too much of a gut punch for the clubhouse to trade both him and Slater in such short succession. Even if Yastrzemski is not the best hitter, he still plays the game hard and provides value with his glove.

The only way the Giants would probably feel comfortable trading either Conforto or Yastrzemski is if they felt confident that Luis Matos could be an everyday player. It sure seemed like he could be earlier this year when he went on a tear that earned him NL Player of the Week honors. If he goes on another tear like that before the trade deadline, then perhaps the Giants would be more comfortable parting with Conforto or Yastrzemski.

As of right now, Conforto seems more likely to be traded of the two because of his higher value. Yet, a lot of that depends on the ability of Matos to prove himself the rest of this month as an everyday starter.