Could SF Giants swingman Jakob Junis be on the trade block?

With the SF Giants starting pitchers healthy and several prospects looking viable, could righty Jakob Junis be on the trade block?

With Opening Day on the horizon, the SF Giants will soon announce their official Opening Day roster. While the bulk of decisions has already been made, San Francisco could be looking at making some minor trades. Given how the team looks at the end of spring training, right-handed swingman Jakob Junis seems like a prime candidate.

SF Giants righty Jakob Junis throws a pitch against the Rockies. (2022) / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Junis had a breakout season with the Giants last season, recording a 4.42 ERA (3.65 FIP) in 112 innings pitched across 23 appearances (17 starts). Finding his niche as the Giants swingman, Junis was effective as a long reliever alongside promising flashes in the rotation. Still, it remains an open question whether Junis can take another step forward in 2023. However, the Giants may be ready to move on from the 30-year-old righty.

With an early day off, the Giants will not need a fifth starter until April 11th. Even without counting Junis, the Giants still have six veteran starters who are ready for Opening Day; Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Sean Manaea, Anthony DeSclafani, Ross Stripling, and Alex Wood.

Obviously, injuries and poor performance can force teams to dig deeper down the depth chart. However, even past Junis, the Giants have several starting pitching prospects in the upper minors who could be ready for a promotion.

Former second-round pick Sean Hjelle (Giants #28 prospect) will start the season in the Giants bullpen after standing out during spring training. Hjelle had some promising flashes late last season, and built on that success this spring. He recorded a 1.59 ERA across 17 innings pitched with 22 strikeouts and just three walks.

Tristan Beck (Giants #19 prospect) was likely in position to receive a big-league callup last September before he was sidelined by a back injury. Despite finishing the year on the injured list, Beck was added to the Giants 40-man roster this offseason and was solid across 13.2 innings pitched this spring (4.61 ERA, 13 strikeouts, and 3 walks). Beck will start the season back at Triple-A, one move away from the majors.

Keaon Winn (Giants #18 prospect) was added to the 40-man roster alongside Beck this winter. Winn has struggled with injuries throughout his pro career and started last year at Single-A. However, he finished the season with six starts and a 4.15 ERA at Double-A. Winn has an electric one-two punch of pitches. A fastball that routinely reaches the high-90s alongside a nasty splitter.

Then, of course, there's Kyle Harrison (Giants #1 prospect), the consensus top prospect in the organization. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi already said he expects Harrison to make his big-league debut this season.

With several veteran starters slated to fill the Giants rotation at the start of the season and several promising prospects waiting in the wings, where does that leave Junis? Set to be a free agent at the end of the season, he seems like an odd fit.

If the Giants are comfortable with Webb, Cobb, Manaea, DeSclafani, Stripling, Wood, Hjelle, Beck, Winn, and Harrison as the organizatoin's 10-best starting options, Junis is an obvious odd-man out.

Almost every team can use more starting pitching depth. The Padres, Orioles, White Sox, and Cardinals all seem like prime candidates to try and acquire Junis in a trade. All four teams are eyeing contention this season and have questions about their starting pitching depth. An arm like Junis who could serve as a long reliever or starter on a reasonable $2.8 million salary is an obvious fit.

The Giants could approach moving Junis in various ways. In a perfect world, the Giants could swap Junis for an immediate upgrade elsewhere on the big-league roster, likely on offense. However, teams targetting Junis likely view themselves as contenders, making them less likely to part with immediate contributors.

They could target lower minor-league talent, prioritizing clearing a spot on the active and 40-man rosters while adding some intriguing long-term upside. Prospects like Jakob Marsee (Padres), Chase Walter (Padres), James Beard (White Sox), Tanner McDougal (White Sox), Jimmy Crooks (Cardinals), Alec Willis (Cardinals), Won-Bin Cho (Cardinals), Carter Young (Orioles), and Maikol Hernández (Orioles) are several names that could fit that description.

They could also look for more immediate help, reinforcing the team's 40-man roster elsewhere. Players like Eguy Rosario (Padres), Gavin Sheets (White Sox), Juan Yepez, (Cardinals), and Terrin Vavra (Orioles) are all somewhat buried on the depth charts in their respective situations but could solidify some areas of weakness for the Giants.

The Giants are in a good position when it comes to their starting pitching depth. Between plenty of proven veterans and several prospects waiting in the wings. In such a position of strength, the SF Giants front office could consider shopping a player like Jakob Junis to solidify depth elsewhere.