Report: Three Giants hitters could be available at MLB trade deadline
The Giants publicly haven’t declared whether they will be buyers or sellers over the next few days leading up to the 3 p.m. PT July 30 MLB trade deadline, but if they decide to go down the latter path, the front office will have a few appealing players to deal.
Outfielders Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski, and first baseman/designated hitter Wilmer Flores “at least to some extent are available,” The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday, citing industry sources briefed on trade discussions.
The Giants, at 49-54 entering Thursday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, find themselves 4.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi went all-in this past offseason, signing Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jung-Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler and Jordan Hicks in free agency while acquiring former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray in a trade.
But the Giants have underperformed, with Zaidi even labeling the first half of the season a “disappointment.”
Conforto, Yastrzemski or Flores could be valuable pieces for contending MLB teams if the Giants decide to move any of them.
Conforto will be a free agent this winter after signing a two-year, $36 million contract with the Giants before the 2023 MLB season. He’s hitting .224/.296/.410 with 16 doubles, 10 homers and 39 RBI this season.
Flores, a fan-favorite and strong clubhouse presence, has a $3.5 million player option for 2025, while the Giants hold an $8.5 million team option. But he’s having the least-productive season of his five-year tenure in San Francisco, hitting just .206/.277/.318 with 12 doubles and four homers in 71 games.
Yastrzemski, who is making $7.9 million this season, has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining. The 33-year-old is hitting .244/.321/.433 with nine doubles, eight homers and 33 RBI in 84 games this season.
The Giants still have a few days to figure out which direction they want to go, but if Zaidi decides it’s time to look to the future, several of his veteran players could be attractive to other teams.
