The Giants are already moving like a team headed for the trade deadline sell-off, but one name appears to be staying put: Jung Hoo Lee.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, San Francisco has told teams that the right fielder is not available. “The San Francisco Giants are telling teams that right fielder Jung Hoo Lee is staying, but they will move left fielder Heliot Ramos,” Nightengale writes.
That’s a notable line in a summer where the Giants are open for business on plenty of other fronts. The roster has players who could be dealt for the right return, including multiple contracts north of $100 million. Lee, though, is not expected to be part of that group.
The 27-year-old outfielder is now projected to remain in San Francisco through the August 3 trade deadline. He would have plenty of appeal on the market as a high batting average outfielder, but the Giants are choosing to hold onto him.
Ramos, meanwhile, could be the outfielder on the move as San Francisco continues to sell during a disappointing season. The Giants still appear ready to deal from that part of the roster, just not with Lee.
He joins Bryce Eldridge and Logan Webb as players who are not likely to be traded this summer. Even with interest in several Giants, those names seem set to stay in place.
The two players most likely to be moved are Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray, and more departures could follow. But based on Nightengale’s report, Lee is staying in San Francisco, with Buster Posey planning to keep him through the deadline.
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For a team trying to balance present needs with longer-term decisions, even a brief absence can ripple through the roster conversation. Schmitts status now sits at the center of that uncertainty, and with the Giants still waiting on the next round of medical information, the deadline picture suddenly feels a lot less settled than it did a day ago. [Read more 🡒]
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That is where the speculation gets interesting for San Francisco, even if nothing official has been reported. A potential Yankees-Giants deal would have to thread a difficult needle, balancing immediate big-league help against the kind of prospect and salary questions that usually decide whether a deadline idea stays theoretical or turns into something real. For now, it is just a scenario worth watching, but the kind of injury-driven pressure New York is feeling can make even a surprising fit look a lot more plausible. [Read more 🡒]