San Francisco Giants, Pitcher Steven Matz Seen as Possible Trade Pairing

The San Francisco Giants were one of three teams sees as potential trade destinations for left-hander Steven Matz in a trade.

Sep 20, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Steven Matz (32) pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants will have a tough time replacing Blake Snell this winter. Snell was one of the top pitchers available, and his contract shows his value around the league.

For the Giants, there will be ways for them to improve, both in free agency and on the trade market. They'll need another starter and some relief help, as pitching is more important than anything.

Regarding a starter and reliever, San Francisco could kill two birds with one stone with Steven Matz. Matz, typically a starter in his career, has started to work out of the bullpen a bit.

He appeared in 12 games in 2024, five of which came out of the pen. In 2023, he appeared in 25 games with 17 starts.

Matz isn't the type of arm who would wow anyone, but there's a reason he's going into his 11th season at the Big League level. He's been a serviceable option, and guys like that make a career for a reason.

They're always of value, even if it's to come in and eat innings at an average level.

The Giants need more than that, but he wouldn't be a bad option to target if they do more.

Thomas Gauvain of FanSided urged them to do just that, naming San Francisco one of three trade spots for the left-hander.

"The Giants have been a team in search of a star in recent years, but their rotation could use even more help. At the end of the 2024 season, their only viable starting pitcher was Logan Webb. Jordan Hicks, Robby Ray, and Kyle Harrison are also strong candidates to nab starting spots, but their rotation depth is quite thin behind those four... Steven Matz could be the Giants' fifth starter next year, or he could provide valuable innings in relief."

Since 2021, Matz has posted a 4.19 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.34 WHIP and has struck out 329 hitters in 348.0 innings.

Again, those numbers don't jump off the screen, but pitching in 105.0 innings in two of those four years could help a team.

Plus, his work in relief is recent but notable. He only threw 33.1 innings of relief in three years with the Cardinals. He does have a 2.43 ERA, which would be the lowest ERA of any season of his career.

Matz, a veteran, is on a cheap, expiring deal. He's set to hit free agency after the 2025 season. Matz, who turned 33 in May, is in the final year of a four-year, $44 million deal.

The Giants are on a budget this winter, but an $11 million AAV deal shouldn't hurt them too much.

This type of signing wouldn't excite many, but he could be a decent addition to the pitching staff in some capacity.