Former MLB Exec Left Confused by San Francisco Giants at Deadline

A former MLB executive was confused by what the San Francisco Giants did ahead of the 2024 MLB trade deadline.

Nov 9, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi answers questions from the media during the MLB GM Meetings at The Conrad Las Vegas. / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the 2024 MLB trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants looked like a team that would be selling. They weren’t very far out of the wild card race in the National League, but there were a lot of teams that needed to be jumped.

But, their plans changed when they started a winning streak. The Giants won four games in a row and five out of six heading into deadline day, which likely prompted the front office to swerve from their original plans.

That didn’t stop San Francisco from making deals, as they did move on from a few veterans on the roster. Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson were traded to the Atlanta Braves, while Alex Cobb was sent to the Cleveland Guardians.

Right ahead of the buzzer, the Giants acquired Mark Canha from the Detroit Tigers, using some of the money they saved from the Braves deal to take him on. However, the biggest news from the deadline for San Francisco was the move they didn’t make.

They decided in the hours leading up to the deadline that ace Blake Snell would be going nowhere. The Giants decided they were going to make a run at that playoff spot over the last two months of the season.

Snell was shopped around but finding the right deal was complicated given his contract that includes an option for 2025. That decision is one of the things that led to former MLB executive turned writer at The Athletic Jim Bowden giving San Francisco the superlative of the most bizarre deadline.

“They shopped Blake Snell, but then kept him. They traded one of their best power hitters, Jorge Soler, to the Braves for practically nothing outside of saving money. They traded Alex Cobb to the Guardians before he even threw a single pitch in the majors this year. Then, after selling those two players, they turned around and bought a lesser bat than Soler in Mark Canha, though he does provide walks and homers. It was confusing to see a team that was just 3 1/2 games out of playoff position sell more than they bought without trading Snell,” Bowden wrote.

If the Giants are going to make a real run at the postseason, keeping Snell makes the most sense. He has found his groove after a rough start and gives the team two aces to rely on at the top of the rotation.

Swapping Soler out for Canha provides San Francisco with a little more versatility for their bench. With Wilmer Flores back on the injured list, Canha can replace him at first base. At-bats are also open for Marco Luciano as a designated hitter. 

Cobb was no longer needed with the emergence of Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison holding down a rotation spot. The decisions the Giants made may seem bizarre, but they are getting their young guys invaluable experience in a postseason race.