Three SF Giants who are in danger of being replaced at the trade deadline

With the trade deadline just a few days away, it’s guaranteed that there will be a flurry of transactions around the league before 3 PM PST Thursday afternoon. The SF Giants find themselves in an unenviable position of being caught between buying and selling after getting swept by the New York Mets and losing 10 of their last 12.

They are still in the hunt for Wild Card spot, though, and after already having made a bold move to bring in Rafael Devers, they might have no other choice than to double down. Starting pitching stands out as their most obvious need, but their lineup could use a boost as well. Of the position players currently on the active roster, whose jobs may be in the most danger if the Giants bring in help from outside the organization?

3 SF Giants players who could be replaced at trade deadline

1. Dominic Smith

Smith had an excellent first couple of weeks as a member of the Giants after being signed on June 4th, but July hasn’t been as kind to him. In 41 July plate appearances, he’s slashed .216/.293/.351, production that was only worth 85 wRC+. What’s more, now that Devers is at least an option at first base, he and Wilmer Flores make a natural platoon at the position, and carrying a third first baseman in Smith doesn’t seem like a practical use of a roster spot. If the Giants were to acquire help at second base or in the outfield, Smith could find himself in danger of being designated for assignment.

2. Luis Matos

Speaking of the outfield, Matos has looked overmatched in the big leagues and could benefit from more seasoning at the Triple-A level. His role has mostly been a bench player who can spell Yastrzemski against left-handed pitching, but Matos has been even worse against lefties than righties this year (56 wRC+ against LHP vs. 62 wRC+ against RHP). Worse yet, against lefties in Oracle Park, he’s gone 1-for-27 with his lone hit somehow being a home run. Matos is still only 23 and has an option remaining, so it’s clear he’d benefit from some time away from the bright lights of San Francisco. If the Giants can acquire an outfielder who pushes Yastrzemski into a reserve role, they’d simultaneously be upgrading the lineup and their bench in one move.

3. Andrew Knizner

The Giants’ .554 OPS at the catcher position is dead last among MLB teams, to the surprise of no one. Bailey’s job is not in danger because of how valuable he is to the team, but Knizner may not be so fortunate? Frankly, he’s lucky to have had a locker in Oracle Park for this long. His .178/.213/.244 line has been worth only 28 wRC+ and weighs down the already putrid production the Giants have gotten from their catchers.

Knizner and Sam Huff haven’t worked out as viable backups to Bailey, and even though there don’t figure to be a lot of catching options available ahead of the trade deadline, they could luck into better production simply by bringing in a different warm body. They may have done just that by signing Diego Cartaya to a minor league deal late Monday afternoon after being released by the Twins. If the plan is to try him out in San Francisco right away, Knizner can expect to become waiver fodder.

We will see how things shake out for the Giants ahead of the trade deadline, but these three players could be in trouble as the Giants look to improve.

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