The Giants won last night in what was a temporary respite from what has been a torturous season – and not the good kind of torture. But they’re still 28-51, and would essentially need to win three out of every four games the rest of the season to finish with 90 victories.
So although Jon Morosi may have been stating the obvious in his story that came out Tuesday morning calling the Giants sellers at the upcoming trade deadline, he had some interesting notes. Morosi prefaced his thoughts on who could be dealt from San Francisco by noting that the team has a trio of untouchable big leaguers.
“Industry sources believe San Francisco general manager Bobby Evans has three true untouchables: ace Madison Bumgarner, catcher Buster Posey and shortstop Brandon Crawford,” Morosi wrote. “Most of the remaining players likely will be available, to varying degrees, between now and July 31, even if the odds of a Johnny Cueto or Mark Melancon deal aren’t especially high.”
It’s no surprise that Posey and Bumgarner — the team’s best hitter and pitcher, respectively — are untouchable. Fans would revolt if either was traded. Crawford is a fairly obvious franchise cornerstone too, and is signed through 2021 for about $15 million per year.
The interesting notes come when Morosi discusses Cueto and Melancon. Morosi’s comment that odds of trading either “aren’t especially high” is a bit surprising, but for a different reason with each player. Cueto, expected to opt out at the end of this season, has been viewed as somewhat of a must-sell, while Melancon was just signed this offseason for four years.
It appears Cueto is less likely to be traded than one would have thought and Melancon more likely, though again, Morosi says odds aren’t high on either happening. The potential for Cueto to have four more expensive years on his deal hanging over teams’ heads as one injury could change everything might scare off some clubs, said Morosi. Melancon’s new and similarly costly deal is also a drawback.
Brandon Belt gets name-dropped in Morosi’s piece as well, and he even includes some possible destination for the left-handed slugger.
“If the Giants show a willingness to engage in talks on Belt, teams like the Angels, Yankees and Mariners will have plenty of options to consider at the position over the next month,” Morosi writes.
Belt, like Crawford, is signed through 2021 but at an even higher price of about $17 million per year. It’d be interesting to see if a team is willing to take on that whole contract and still offer good young talent in return.
Giants fans who love their stars like Posey, Crawford and Bumgarner can rest easy knowing those guys won’t be moved, but according to Morosi, it could be open season on the rest of the roster between now and July 31.
