Proposed Giants-Mariners mock trade would give SF immediate Robbie Ray replacement

The SF Giants just lost two out of three games to the Seattle Mariners and they got to see up close and personal how good that pitching staff is. It's so good that they are willing to get rid of a starter. What a great problem to have! The Giants are almost certainly going to trade Robbie Ray in the next few weeks but a proposed trade with the Mariners would give them an immediate replacement.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic proposed a trade that would send right-handed starter George Kirby to the Giants in exchange for Casey Schmitt and Erik Miller. Let’s break this one down a bit.

Kirby is a 28-year-old who has a 3.76 ERA in 18 starts on the season. He was an All-Star back in 2023 and has generally been a very solid pitcher for Seattle. He’s 6-foot-4 and features a sweeper and sinker predominantly in his pitch mix. 

He gives up a lot of hits but he usually limits the amount of walks he gives up. He’s surrendered 121 hits in 110 innings pitched this season but he’s struck out 98 batters while only walking 24 so he’s a guy who really pounds the zone.

Not only that, but he’s not set to hit free agency until after the 2028 season so the Giants would be getting a fairly affordable arm for a couple years which is a big deal for a team that doesn’t like to spend money on pitchers.

Trading Casey Schmitt in the middle of his breakout year would hurt

Still, having to give up Casey Schmitt would really sting. Schmitt was an All-Star snub and he’s proven this season that he can be a really good hitter when given consistent opportunities. There are legitimate questions about how sustainable his success is but if the Giants are going to trade Luis Arraez then they had better keep Schmitt so he can play second base.

Giving up Miller would hurt too even though he hasn’t quite become the dependable setup arm the Giants were hoping for. He is just too wild too often to be fully trustworthy. He has a 3.18 ERA on the year with 20 walks and 40 strikeouts in 28 and 1/3 innings pitched so he’d be a solid addition to a Seattle bullpen that is already pretty strong.

So, should the Giants pull the trigger on a trade like this? The only way they should is if they feel confident they can sign Luis Arraez to an extension because if they end up dealing both Schmitt and Arraez then that leaves second base very much up in the air in the offseason.

Kirby is a solid arm but that would be a lot to give up for him so maybe the Giants would be better served waiting until the offseason to see what their options are.

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