The SF Giants’ decision to move Patrick Bailey once looked like the kind of bold call that could pay off fast. Bailey was scuffling badly at the plate, the lineup needed more punch, and San Francisco sent him to the Cleveland Guardians for left-handed pitcher Matt Wilkinson and the No. 29 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, which became left-handed pitcher Carson Bolemon.
For a while, that deal seemed to tilt in the Giants’ favor. Bailey’s bat stayed quiet in Cleveland early on, and San Francisco could point to the trade as a move that made sense in the moment. But the picture has started to shift.
Bailey has begun to look more like a usable hitter with the Guardians. Since the trade, he’s batting .237/.283/.398 with four home runs and 14 runs batted in. That’s hardly eye-popping production, but it’s a clear step up from the .146/.213/.183 line he posted with the Giants this year.
At the same time, the Giants still don’t have a clean answer behind the plate. The expectation was that Daniel Susac would seize the starting job after a hot start, but he has cooled off. Right now, San Francisco is leaning on a rookie group of Susac, Jesus Rodriguez, and Drew Cavanaugh.
Susac and Cavanaugh have held up well defensively, but neither matches Bailey’s level behind the plate. Bailey remains a two-time Gold Glove winner, and that matters when you start comparing what each side got out of the deal.
Still, it’s too soon to call a winner. The Giants may have looked right at first, and now the Guardians may have the edge, but the real verdict depends on what Wilkinson and Bolemon become. If “Tugboat” Wilkinson and Bolemon develop into major rotation pieces, the Giants will feel good about the trade.
If they don’t, and San Francisco keeps cycling through catchers while Bailey keeps winning Gold Gloves and hitting well enough to stay in the lineup, this could become a move the Giants regret for a long time.
For now, the tide is moving a little against San Francisco. But this trade won’t be fully judged until Wilkinson and Bolemon show what they are.
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