The Giants did plenty of dealing before Monday’s trade deadline, sending out six players and choosing something closer to a reset than a teardown. What they did not do was move the three biggest contracts on the roster: Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers.
That omission tells the story.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey was asked directly whether the Giants had tried to move any of those players, and he didn’t sound like someone who believed a deal was ever close. “We made it known to teams that we were willing to talk about any player, but I don't think it does any good to say one way or the other for us. We're still excited that we've got those big three guys."
San Francisco had signaled well before the deadline that it was open to conversations on Chapman, Adames and Devers. Reports surfaced in June that the club was willing to listen, and those whispers almost certainly came from inside the organization. The Giants gave themselves a long runway to explore possibilities, but even with more than a month to work the phones, there doesn’t appear to have been much traction.
The lone rumor that gained any real traction was the idea that the San Diego Padres had interest in Devers, though that seemed more like an A.J. Preller concept than the start of a serious negotiation with the Giants. Outside of that, there wasn’t much noise around any of the three.
There are obvious reasons why.
Chapman has spent much of the year banged up, and when he has been on the field, the production hasn’t matched the size of the contract. A healthy Chapman might have drawn some attention, but the lingering abdominal issue likely shut down any meaningful momentum. His no-trade clause only makes the whole thing harder.
Adames has been dealing with his own issues. He’s underperformed at the plate and in the field, and he’s trying to play through a back injury. Add in his no-trade clause, and he may be the toughest of the three to move.
Devers is the best pure baseball bet of the group right now, mostly because he has finished strong after a rough start to the season. But he also carries the most daunting contract, one that runs through 2033. That kind of commitment changes the market fast.
Even if the Giants had found a willing partner, the math would have been ugly. To move any of those deals, San Francisco likely would have had to eat money, and the club clearly isn’t at that point yet.
Maybe that changes if the losing continues and the younger players in the minors force their way into the picture. For now, though, the Giants seem content to keep the trio together and see if better health and better performance can salvage the picture.
That’s the hope. But Posey’s comments made one thing plain: at the moment, San Francisco is stuck with its “big three.” And if next season - potentially shaped by the lockout - looks anything like this one, the Giants may eventually have to have far tougher conversations about breaking them apart.
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