© John Hefti | 2019 Jun 14
It seems as if every day we get closer to the July 31st trade deadline, there is a new rumor that comes to light regarding the Giants.
While it comes as no surprise that San Francisco is involved in trade rumors, this year is a little different. With new President of Baseball Operations, Farhan Zaidi, in command, seemingly no team is off the table as a potential trade partner.
Zaidi, who was the general manager for the Dodgers before coming to San Francisco, could possibly be in communication with his former club. On Tuesday morning, MLB network’s Jon Morosi reported that the Giants may not be opposed to doing business with their division rival in a trade that would send San Francisco’s closer Will Smith to Los Angeles.
#Dodgers, #SFGiants aren’t ruling out the prospect of making a Will Smith trade, source says. The rivals haven’t paired up on a deal since @Sweendog9 to L.A. for Travis Denker in 2007. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 25, 2019
Will Smith is the best arm in a strong Giants bullpen and could be one of higher regarded players on the trade market this season. Every time he takes the mound his value seems to climb higher.
The southpaw has been perfect thus far for San Francisco. He is currently 20-for-20 in save opportunities and holds a 2.01 ERA in 32 appearances while striking out 47 over 31.1 innings. He is also on a team friendly one-year contract worth $4.23 million.
As stated in Morosi’s tweet, the Giants and Dodgers haven’t completed a trade with each other since 2007. Sending Smith to Los Angeles – as they look to make their 3rd straight world series – may seem bizarre to Giants fans, but trading with the Dodgers could have its advantages.
There are few people who know the Dodgers farm system better than Zaidi. He served as the Dodgers GM from 2014 to 2018 and was a key factor in building what is recognized as one of the better systems in baseball. MLB.com ranked the Dodgers system 7th entering this season and Zaidi knows which players could help boost the current Giants farm system.
With his strong start to the 2019 season, it is safe to presume that the Dodgers will not be the only contending team calling about Smith’s services. But with Zaidi’s knowledge of their system, they may offer a prospect or two that he feels is too good to pass up.
