SF Giants can make a bad contract swap trade for Spencer Strider that Braves couldn't refuse

The SF Giants are going to have to improve the starting rotation in the offseason. While we know they don’t love to sign free agent pitchers to big contracts, there’s a chance that they could make a trade to give the starting five a boost.

It was recently revealed that the Atlanta Braves attempted a salary swap trade with the Texas Rangers that would have sent Spencer Strider to Texas in exchange for Jacob deGrom. The deal didn’t go through because deGrom was able to axe it with his no trade clause, but if the Braves are looking to dump Strider’s salary then the Giants could be the perfect team to strike a deal with.

Strider is currently injured and while he was an All-Star back in 2023, he has struggled to stay healthy and hasn’t performed very well when he’s been on the mound since that season. Last year he had a 4.45 ERA in 23 starts and this season he’s had a 5.31 ERA in eight starts.

He’s making $20 million this season and will make $22 million the next two seasons before there is a club option in his contract for the 2029 season. That’s a lot of money for a pitcher who is struggling, but if the Giants think they can get him healthy and back to his 2023 self then they could dump one of their salaries.

Maybe the Braves would be willing to take either Matt Chapman or Willy Adames off San Francisco’s hands in exchange for Strider. The Braves have struggled to settle on a shortstop this season and even though Adames has struggled, been banged up, and is owed $31 million per season until 2031, maybe a change of scenery could help him out.

Austin Riley hasn’t been his usual self at third base for Atlanta so maybe Chapman could be a good fit for Atlanta. He too struggled this season and was injured but if he’s healthy he can probably still be a productive player especially with his defense.

Of course, both Chapman and Adames have no-trade clauses so if they don’t want to go to Atlanta they can veto the deal just like deGrom did. That doesn’t mean San Francisco shouldn’t try though especially since they have played better without both players.

Giants need to get a solid starting pitcher somehow

Strider may not be an elite ace, but trading for him would be very similar to when the Giants traded for Robbie Ray. While Ray was coming off a 2023 season in which he was limited to just one start before undergoing Tommy John surgery, he was an AL Cy Young winner in 2021 and the Giants made a bet they could get that version of him.

They got pretty close as in his one full season with San Francisco he was an All-Star so maybe the Giants could do the same thing with Strider. 

The Giants will have to get creative if they want to improve the rotation so maybe a salary swap trade for Strider is precisely what they need to do to ensure it’s not just Logan Webb and four average-at-best arms in the rotation next season. 

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