SF Giants should be on the phone with Cubs after White Sox trade for Luis Castillo

The Chicago White Sox made a move on Saturday night to add starting pitching by swinging a trade for Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo. The SF Giants seemed like a team that could conceivably trade for Castillo since he is under contract for next season as well, but now that ship has sailed.

The White Sox also seemed like a possible trade partner for the Giants on Robbie Ray since the Sox needed some starting pitcher help. Reporting suggests the White Sox are trying to make another move for a starter, but if Castillo was their lone addition then the Giants should pivot to another Chicago team and be on the phone with the Cubs.

The Cubs are another team in need of starting pitching. They currently hold one of the three NL Wild Card spots so they’re in the thick of the playoff race. Adding Ray would give them a solid veteran reliever to lean upon who has been really solid as of late. Ray has a 3.08 ERA on the year and has a 1.26 ERA in his last seven starts.

He’s put up really solid career numbers in Wrigley Field with a 1.55 ERA in five career starts there and he’s going to be a free agent after the season so he’s a fairly low-risk rental addition for a team like the Cubs looking to win now.

Obviously, the Giants should be willing to pay down some or all of Ray’s remaining contract in order to get a better deal from the Cubs. If they do that maybe they can get someone like Jaxon Wiggins, the top-ranked pitching prospect in Chicago’s system. 

Time is on SF Giants' side with Robbie Ray and trade deadline

The Giants may choose to wait right until the deadline to deal Ray though. That 3 PM PST deadline on Monday has a way of forcing teams to say yes if there are no better offers on the table so the Giants can use it to their advantage to get a better return.

A lot of teams could use starting pitching so a lot of teams have probably checked in on Ray. The Cubs make a lot of sense though and with Castillo now off the board that means one less starter for teams to pursue so the Giants are still in a good negotiating position with Ray and can afford to be patient the next day or so.

The fact that Tarik Skubal is also off the board is good news for the Giants (in more ways than one) because teams that had interest in him may now come to Ray as a backup option.

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