With the Aug. 1 trade deadline less than a month away, the relative stasis among MLB’s trade landscape should change soon.
The Giants are one of several teams expected to pursue improvements to their roster. With the expanded playoff format, almost every team can convince themselves that they can make a postseason run with a strong second-half push. The Giants, at 47-40 and with 58.1% playoff odds, have a clearer path than most.
San Francisco’s needs are likely on the starting pitching side, since Logan Webb and Alex Cobb have been their only two healthy, reliable starters for much of the first half. But they do have a number of starting-caliber arms in the bullpen, including Ross Stripling, who is starting on Friday night against Colorado. The organization also has top prospect Kyle Harrison waiting in Triple-A, potentially readying to contribute in the stretch run.
In his weekly appearance on KNBR’s Tolbert & Copes, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi identified a different area of interest.
“I do think the middle infield, as we look at it and with the uncertainty around (Thairo Estrada) — getting a little bit more offensive stability from the middle infield is going to be something we take a look at,” Zaidi said on the Tolbert & Copes Show.
Estrada is currently sidelined with a hand fracture — a serious injury that could’ve been even worse. The team is still in the fact-finding stage with some of the specifics of Estrada’s injury, but he’s expected to miss four-to-six weeks.
Estrada leads the team in Fangraphs WAR, meaning he’s arguably the club’s most valuable player. Without him, a combination of Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely will take the brunt of the at-bats at second base. Brandon Crawford will also be in the mix at shortstop, with Schmitt and Wisely spelling him as needed.
None of those options are great. Crawford is hitting .215 on the year, Schmitt is swinging at everything and Wisely hasn’t shown the capability of translating his minor league success to the majors quite yet. The Giants remain optimistic about their potential long-term, but if they’re set on competing right away, it might behoove SF to acquire outside help.
“Craw has definitely been swinging the bat better after a bit of a slow start in April,” Zaidi said. “That’s been good to see. Some of the younger guys in the mix at second, certainly Casey, Brett Wisely, we think those guys have a chance to be good offensive players. You always hope that the solution comes internally. But we’ll have to look at that as a potential area to go out and get some help.”
It’s unclear which middle infielders could be available at the trade deadline, and at what price. Teams who are out of playoff contention are more likely to move on from veterans, and players who could leave imminently in free agency are more likely to be shipped out.
Tim Anderson, the two-time All-Star for the Chicago White Sox, could fit that billing. He’s having a miserable season, with an OPS of .541, but the talent is there. Chicago is in fourth place and has a club option for $14 million for Anderson next year, which they might not pick up given how Anderson is swinging the bat this year. Anderson is still 30 years old and his immediate upside as a shortstop partner with Crawford is probably higher than Schmitt and Wisely’s.
Cincinnati is contending but might be open to moving on from Jonathan India, who won the National League Rookie of the Year award two years ago. Reports of his diminished role were greatly exaggerated, but the emergence of rookie infielders Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain might make the Reds open to exchanging India for pitching help. He’d require a bigger package than Anderson given he’s under team control through 2027.
Other options that could become available, for a variety of reasons, include the Cubs’ Nick Madrigal, Cardinals’ Tommy Edman or Paul DeJong, or a veteran Orioles infielder.
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