The Giants’ biggest trade-deadline problem might not be finding takers for their contracts - it might be figuring out how to unload them without taking another headache back in return.
According to the reporting, San Francisco has interest in moving on from Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers. That kind of cleanup job is never simple, and the article lays out the most realistic path: the Giants may need to attach money and absorb another team’s bad contract to make a deal happen.
One possible partner is Atlanta. The Braves have been watching the Giants plenty lately, and the fit is obvious enough at shortstop.
Adames has drawn plenty of criticism, but the source makes the case that he would still be a major upgrade over Ha-Seong Kim, who has been a disaster in Atlanta. Kim is hitting .068/.171/.068 in 26 games, and the Braves are said to have reason to regret giving him a one-year, $20 million deal this offseason.
A swap there would send Adames to Atlanta for Kim, with maybe a prospect or two coming back as well. Because Adames is under contract through 2031, San Francisco would likely need to include money in the deal.
Still, taking on Kim’s contract would soften the blow. It would also mean a short reunion for Kim with Jung Hoo Lee, and the Giants would only be on the hook for Kim through this season.
Chapman is another name the Giants are trying to move, even if his preference is to stay on the West Coast. The article points to the Yankees as a logical destination, since New York could use help at third base with Ryan McMahon struggling.
McMahon is hitting .210/.269/.360 with eight home runs and 23 runs batted in. A Chapman-for-McMahon deal, with a few prospects and some cash added in, is presented as a possible way to get something done.
McMahon also carries future money, with $16 million owed next year. That gives San Francisco a couple of choices: keep him, or try to move him again in the offseason.
The Mets also enter the picture through a salary-swap idea floated by ESPN’s Buster Olney, who proposed Adames going to New York for Marcus Semien. The article suggests Rafael Devers might be an even cleaner match for the Mets because Francisco Lindor already has shortstop covered, while first base is less settled. In that version, Devers would head to New York for Semien, who is owed $46 million over the next two seasons and is hitting .214/.271/.341 this year.
The logic is simple enough: two years of Semien could be more manageable than being tied to Devers into the 2030s, even if San Francisco would still need to send money to complete the deal.
None of these swaps would be easy. But if the Giants are serious about getting out from under those contracts, the article makes clear they may have to swallow a bad contract on the other side to make the math work.
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Luis Arraez has only been a Giant for a short stretch, but his name is already surfacing as one to watch when the trade deadline chatter heats up. San Francisco is widely expected to be in seller mode, and players on expiring contracts tend to draw attention quickly, especially someone like Arraez, whose game has remained as steady as ever while also showing improvement with the glove.
ESPNs David Schoenfield floated the Texas Rangers as a logical place to watch, which says plenty about where the market could go if the Giants decide to move him. Arraez has been productive enough to fit a contenders lineup, and Texas has been searching for stability at second base, so the fit makes sense on paper even if nothing is close to finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Heliot Ramos Just Forced A Giants Outfield Conversation Again
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His return has also forced another look at the outfield mix, with the Giants working Ramos into right field while Jung Hoo Lee remains in center. For a club trying to settle on the best alignment, Ramos bat makes the conversation harder to ignore, and the next few games should tell a lot about how permanent this arrangement might become. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Fans May Be Stuck With Devers Longer Than Expected
When the Giants brought in Rafael Devers from the Red Sox last year, they took on far more than just a middle-of-the-order bat. They also inherited a contract that runs through 2033, which means this is the kind of move that can shape the roster long after the headlines fade. Devers has still given San Francisco production this season, hitting .242 with 15 home runs and 44 RBIs, but the fit has already become a conversation piece around the league.
That matters because the Giants may not be done with the Devers discussion yet. Even with the deadline approaching, any attempt to move him would have to navigate the reality of a deal that can look unwieldy to other clubs, especially for a player who will be in his mid-30s by the end of it. For a team trying to balance present value with future flexibility, Devers remains both an asset and a complication, and it is not hard to see why the market could be more complicated than the name alone suggests. [Read more 🡒]