With less than 48 hours until the trade deadline, the Giants decided not to push Luis Arraez any further on Saturday.
Arraez was scratched from the starting lineup against San Diego for precautionary reasons after feeling “cramping” during pregame warmups, according to the team. It was the second straight day cramping had become an issue for the second baseman, who also left Friday’s 7-0 loss before the bottom of the seventh inning for the same reason. Osleivis Basabe got the start in his place.
The timing matters here. Arraez has been one of San Francisco’s most productive players all season, leading the majors with a .328 batting average while giving the club Gold Glove-caliber defense. He’s also a four-time All-Star and one of the Giants’ most valuable trade pieces, so there was little reason to take any unnecessary chance with Monday’s deadline so close.
San Francisco already showed some willingness to roll the dice on Thursday when it let left-hander Robbie Ray start against the Padres. Ray, who will likely be traded as well, worked six innings of one-run ball in what figures to be his final outing as a Giant.
The Giants aren’t the only team trying to manage this sort of situation. The Angels took a different route Saturday, scratching starter José Soriano.
“With the trade deadline on Monday and the uncertainty of the next 48 hours, we decided to take a prudent approach and see where these next few days lead us,” the Angels wrote in a statement.
Arraez is part of a larger group of Giants players who could be on the move in the coming days. That list also includes Ray and Tyler Mahle, left fielder Heliot Ramos and relievers JT Brubaker, Caleb Kilian and Sam Hentges.
In Other News...
Giants Just Sent A Clear Message About What Comes Next
The Giants made an early-summer pitching shuffle by moving Tyler Mahle to Atlanta and bringing back right-handed reliever Anthony Molina, a deal that fits the kind of deadline posture the front office has been signaling. Mahles time in San Francisco was uneven, but the team had started to see him settle in a bit more as the season went along, which made his departure notable even in a market where clubs are constantly chasing bullpen help and roster flexibility.
Molina gives San Francisco another arm to sort through as the deadline approaches, and the move suggests the Giants are not treating this as a one-and-done swap. There is still more activity expected before the cutoff, and this trade may be the clearest indication yet that the Giants are willing to keep reshaping the staff if it helps them cover innings now and keep options open for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Finally Have A Willy Adames Trade Opening To Watch
The Giants have spent the offseason listening on Willy Adames even after committing to him on a long-term deal, but the market has not exactly come roaring in. For a player with a hefty contract and a reputation that should play well at shortstop, San Francisco has had to wait for the right club to line up both the need and the willingness to take on the commitment.
One possible opening is in Boston, where the Red Sox are still looking for help at shortstop. If they cannot get what they want elsewhere, Adames could become a name to monitor, though any deal would still have to clear a few obvious hurdles for the Giants to move him at all. His no-trade clause gives him leverage, and the obligation on his contract runs deep enough to make any conversation more complicated than a simple swap of needs. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Gausman Trade Just Set The Robbie Ray Deadline Bar
Kevin Gausmans move from Toronto to the Chicago Cubs has already given the pitching market a new reference point, and it comes with a familiar name for Giants fans. The right-hander, who previously spent time in San Francisco, was dealt in the final season of his Blue Jays contract for two prospects, a reminder that contenders will part with young talent for a proven arm when the timing lines up.
For the Giants, the deal naturally shifts the conversation to Robbie Ray and what his own market might look like if they decide to move him. San Francisco has already dipped into that trade lane recently with the acquisition of reliever Anthony Molina, so the front office knows how quickly deadlines can turn into roster shuffles. Gausmans return is the kind of benchmark that can shape expectations, even if the Giants still have to decide how far they want to push the idea. [Read more 🡒]