It’s been exactly one year to the day since the Giants’ incredible discovery Rafael Devers from the Red Sox. It’s a testament to how bad this offseason has been that ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that they are already open to trade talks involving Devers, Willy Adams again Matt Chapman.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this afternoon that San Francisco’s front office has begun exploring the possibility of a trade deadline. Rosenthal wrote that the Giants have no interest in moving the ace Logan Webb but he can check to make Chapman available. Free agents are coming Luis Arraez again Robbie Ray they are obvious consumers as well.
As Darragh McDonald of MLBTR assessed today, there should be no shortage of interest in Arraez. He is one of the upcoming free agents and is playing with an affordable salary of $12MM, about $3.5MM of which will be owed after the deadline. Ray’s $25MM salary (about $7.25MM is not owed after August 3rd) is very steep and may require San Francisco to spend money.
None of this compares to the challenge of moving any Devers, Adames or Chapman. It’s no coincidence that they are the team’s three highest paid players for a long time. Chapman is playing with a $25MM salary and is owed $100MM through 2027-30. Adames has a minimum salary of $10MM this year but will make $28MM per year for five seasons after this one ($140MM total). Devers made $27.5MM this season and is signed for another $211MM over seven years beyond this one. That includes $7.5MM in annual deferrals but represents the largest commitment, the largest of any in team history.
All of that makes it unsurprising that the Blacks would be open to offering those players. Adames and Chapman are already in their 30s. Devers turns 30 in October. All three contracts are above market, so the Giants would have to pay down and/or bring back salary to make the trade a reality.
Chapman is having the best season of the three. He got off to a slow start, but has been on fire with six home runs this month. He has hit a .261/.348/.414 line this season and is still a quality defensive third baseman, albeit below his Platinum Glove level. A $25MM salary isn’t a bargain but it’s not that bad for this year’s production. He issues similar commitments for his 34-37 campaigns, years in which there has never been a four-year free commitment for a position player since 2020.
Adames is 30 years old and is hitting .229/.274/.418 in 299 plate appearances. He also has some of the worst defensive marks of any shortstop in the MLB. Only Zach Neto he made 12 more mistakes than Adames. His first season in San Francisco met expectations – he became the first franchise player to hit 30 homers since Barry Bonds 21 years earlier – but it’s hard to imagine them getting any trade interest given this year’s performance and contract.
Devers has a .235/.293/.413 batting line over 307 plate appearances. He is coming off a career-worst 30.3% while walking just 7.5% of the time. Devers still hits the ball hard but has seen his solid contact rate and exit velocity decrease significantly. He picked things up in May after a rough start, but regressed to a .154/.267/.327 slump since early June. Devers was hampered by a disc injury in his back last summer and minor muscle discomfort this spring.
The Giants have limited long-term roster flexibility with Devers as well Bryce Eldridge locked in first base and designated hitter positions. The 21-year-old Eldridge has been a rare bright spot, making more contact than expected and quickly rising as one of the team’s leading hitters.
Their lack of positional flexibility has already forced them to use it Casey Schmittone of their best defensive midfielders, is out on the left wing. Schmitt is a good enough athlete that it’s not unreasonable for him to be a good player at some point, but his early defensive marks on grass have been difficult. He may end up back at second base, assuming Arraez is traded at the deadline. Schmitt came up with trade rumors in the offseason himself, but that wouldn’t help them get smaller or take any long-term money off the books.
Devers, Adames, Chapman and Webb are four of the team’s five players signed for more than $20MM next season. Webb is back in the running at the top of the rotation and could get a big deal if the front office reverses course and puts him on the market.
Right winger Jung Hoo Lee their other highest-priced player, signed for $63MM through 2029. Lee could retire after the ’27 season and is having a great year, hitting .331/.364/.445 on the heels of a recent 18-game hitting streak. The Giants should probably hear from teams on Lee given the option to opt out in less than two years, though there are no indications on the table right now.
The field has been a problem even with Lee playing, so they may not want to deal with a collision with their 2027 schedule, but they seem ill-equipped to fight back. Only the Rockies and Royals have a worse record than San Francisco’s 29-43 mark.
