The Yankees have reportedly moved on from Camilo Doval, sending the former SF Giants reliever to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two prospects, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. For San Francisco, it’s another reminder that the club got out at exactly the right moment.
Doval landed with the Yankees at last year’s trade deadline after a first half bounce-back from a rough 2024 season. New York was betting on the version of Doval that made the All-Star team in 2023, the one capable of lighting up the radar gun and taking over late innings.
That wasn’t the arm the Yankees got.
Across his time in New York, Doval posted a 4.82 ERA last season and followed that with a 4.54 ERA this year before the latest deal. Now the Pirates will try to find a way to get him back on track.
For the Giants, the trade keeps looking better. San Francisco’s deal with New York included pitchers Trystan Vierling and Carlos De La Rosa, catcher and utility man Jesus Rodriguez, and infielder Parks Harber. If you’re judging it purely on return, it already stands out as one of the strongest moves made since Buster Posey became president of baseball operations.
Rodriguez is already on the big league club and has flashed some promise this season. Harber has kept climbing through the minors with his hot bat and is now at Triple-A Sacramento, with a real shot to reach the majors by the end of the season.
None of that guarantees what those four prospects become, but the Giants clearly cashed out at the right time. And even with San Francisco’s bullpen looking pretty putrid since last year’s deadline, it’s hard to imagine Doval would have been the fix.
That’s why the front office may have another chance to strike this week. If teams come calling for bullpen help, the Giants have arms that could draw interest, including JT Brubaker, Sam Hentges, Keaton Winn, and Erik Miller. Desperation tends to rise around this time of year, and San Francisco would be smart to use that to its advantage again.
It’s a big deadline for the Giants, and if they can make the kind of move they pulled off last year, they’ll be in good shape.
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 🡒]