The Giants have started the sell-off.
On Sunday evening, San Francisco sent right-hander Tyler Mahle to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for right-hander Anthony Molina, the team announced. Molina has already been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
If the expected Robbie Ray deal also happens, the Giants will suddenly have two openings to patch in their rotation. One possible answer is Blade Tidwell, the 25-year-old right-hander who has posted a 4.38 ERA across 72 innings for Triple-A Sacramento this season.
Molina is 24 and has logged major-league time with the Colorado Rockies in 2024 and 2025, plus the Braves in 2026. Most of his work this year has come with Atlanta’s Triple-A club, where he has put up a 3.64 ERA with 56 strikeouts over 54 1/3 innings.
His big-league numbers have been rough: a 6.89 ERA and 5.16 FIP, along with 67 strikeouts and 29 walks over 99 1/3 innings. In the minors, he has made 69 starts, but in the majors he has been used almost entirely out of the bullpen.
His pitch mix includes a four-seam fastball, cutter, curveball, changeup and slider, and his four-seam sits around 97 mph. The strikeout stuff has shown up in the minors, just not at the same level in the majors.
Mahle, 31, came to San Francisco on a one-year, $10 million deal this past offseason to help stabilize the rotation, but the results never matched the track record. In 18 starts, he finished with a 5.13 ERA and 4.38 FIP while striking out 89 in 94 2/3 innings. His last outing in a Giants uniform came Saturday, when he gave up five runs over 5 2/3 innings and struck out nine.
Atlanta is betting on the version of Mahle that has shown up elsewhere. From 2021-2025, he had a 3.78 ERA despite dealing with injuries, and last season he turned in a 2.18 ERA in 16 starts for the Texas Rangers. His four-seam fastball has also been creeping up in recent outings.
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 🡒]