San Francisco Giants Superstar Gives Surprise Reaction to Trade Deadline
![Jul 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos (17) reacts at third base after hitting a triple during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park. Jul 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos (17) reacts at third base after hitting a triple during the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Oracle Park.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_8022,h_4512,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/giants_baseball_insider/01j42z2tz4q2j105ke6h.jpg)
The San Francisco Giants had a relatively quiet trade deadline this season. In a salary dump move, they traded Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson to the Atlanta Braves, while also shipping Alex Cobb off to the Cleveland Guardians. In a move announced after the deadline had passed, they also acquired Mark Cahna from the Detroit Tigers. Before Tuesday's game, their All-Star outfielder Heliot Ramos gave his thoughts on the team's moves.
"I was really surprised when I saw him gone," Ramos started off.
It was a bit of a shocking trade, given that the Giants had just signed him before this season to a three year, $42 million deal. He was having a season similar to all of his: pretty streaky. In July, he had been hitting .275/.390/.488 with three home runs, six doubles and a triple, mostly out of the leadoff spot. In the end, they moved him in a deal to get out of his salary and give Marco Luciano more at-bats.
"He never gives up, even when he was having a bad week or a bad month, he was always keeping his head up and was always the same guy," the 24-year-old explained.
Soler in his 11th big league season and one of the veterans on the Giants, and Ramos' quotes speak to how he was one of the leaders on the club.
"I think we're going to miss him a lot, he was a great guy to have around as a person, you know, not just a player. And I think that's all that matters for us, about how good of a person you are," he went on to say.
Clearly this move was not only a surprise to fans, but the players as well. Aside from a short stint on the injured list, Soler had been an everyday player who looked to be the everyday DH for the next three years.
However, that was not the only significant move the Giants made. The other was a non-move, with the team keeping Blake Snell. It had been heavily rumored that they would move him at the right price, but that didn't come to fruition.
Snell has an opt-out after the season, which is a big reason for why he was brought up in trade talks. He got off to a poor start to the season, dealing with injury and bad performance, but his last four starts got people in baseball talking.
In his last 24 innings, he has only allowed two runs while striking out 30 batters, including a 15 strikeout performance against the Colorado Rockies in his last start. That four start stretch was enough to encourage the Giants to keep him, believing that they have one of the better rotations in baseball in Snell, Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Hayden Birdsong pitching well as a rookie.
When asked, Ramos spoke highly of the pitching staff.
"I feel like our pitching staff is getting back together like we thought it would. I mean, we look really good," said the All-Star.
Seemingly, the Giants will look to ride their pitching staff to the playoffs for the rest of the season and hope that they can get Snell in the postseason before a potential opt-out.