San Francisco Giants Urged to Trade All-Star Veteran

The San Francisco Giants were urged to move one of their best players ahead of the trade deadline.

Jul 6, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) steals home beside Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) in the fifth inning at Progressive Field. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants enter the second half in one of the more interesting positions in all of baseball. Rumors suggest that if they manage to stay afloat, the Giants should be buyers at the trade deadline.

However, they're somewhat in the middle. Being stuck in the middle typically isn't ideal, but only 3.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot, they look to have a real chance of making the postseason.

If San Francisco wants, they could be buyers and sellers at the deadline. Teams have done that in the past, and while it's not always the best decision, it often works.

For example, if they don't like how Blake Snell looks when he returns from injury on Tuesday, he could be a trade candidate. If they were to move Snell, they could then look to add another, cheaper option on the mound.

They'd have to hope that whoever they add would be able to do so, but it's a possibility and something the Giants could think about.

Snell will hopefully look dominant in his first start since returning from injury, which should put an end to all trade rumors.

However, there are others on the roster who could be in the same boat in terms of moving and finding a cheaper replacement.

One of those is veteran Matt Chapman, as Jackson Roberts of ClutchPoints urged San Francisco to trade him before the deadline.

"And therein lies the problem. When it comes to deciding whether or not to trade Chapman, the Giants have to not only project where they will end up in the standings, but where Chapman's numbers will land and what that equates to in terms of his free agency prospects.

"Because if the market is any better than last season's all-time stinker, players like Chapman will be set up to make far more money."

Moving Chapman would be an interesting decision, but it's always possible, given that he's on a one-year deal. He has a player option in the offseason, which allows him to hit the open market again if he wants.

He's played better than expected, slashing .244/.327/.423 with 12 home runs and 24 doubles. His 118 OPS+ would be the best since the 2020 season if he keeps it up, which could mean that teams might be willing to buy high.

It's an interesting situation, and only the Giants can control it. If they play well heading into the deadline and hold a playoff spot, expect him to stay.