7 trade targets the Giants should pursue at trade deadline

The San Francisco Giants haven't approached a trade deadline with clear direction and confidence in quite some time. In recent seasons, they've hovered in a state of mediocrity, stuck in the middle and unable to commit to a decisive path—whether to buy, sell or stand pat.

As the pivotal July 31 deadline approaches, the 2025 Giants are once again in familiar territory. After opening the season with a promising 24-14 record, they've stumbled through a 30-38 stretch, falling to just four games over .500 and three games back of the Padres in the Wild Card hunt. Still, despite the recent downturn, there’s a widespread expectation—both within the organization and around the league—that San Francisco will be buyers at the deadline.

And it’s Buster Posey we’re talking about here.

Hence, they’re buying.

Here’s a few targets the Giants should pounce on ahead of Thursday’s deadline. These are names that have been dangled out there in rumors and discussions, and are likely on the move as a result.

The Giants will see Mitch Keller on Monday night in the first game of a three-game series against the Pirates at home. The 29-year-old right-hander has been an anchor in a rotation — headlined by Paul Skenes — that could be dismantled if the Pirates continue to be rather unserious about building around it.

Keller has been stellar, pitching to a 3.53 ERA in 125 innings of work. In terms of stuff, Keller’s strikeout numbers have fluctuated throughout his career — his 18.7 K% is in the lower echelon in terms of qualified big league starters — but he’s been masterful at limiting the free pass, walking just 2.16 batters per nine. And he’s done it with an assortment of pitches with varying forms of usage and movement.

Pittsburgh locked up Keller through 2028 with a four-year, $77 million extension before last season. It’s a reasonable price for an arm of Keller’s stature. With many contenders in need of starting pitching and a limited supply available, Keller's asking price will likely be higher than it would be in a market with more options.

The Diamondbacks also being in the NL West throws a wrench into this possible fit, but Kelly would provide reliability in a rotation that is desperate for innings. He’s a rental, but he's a really good one — maybe the best worth-your-buck arm out there.

Kelly, 36, is 9-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 128 ⅓ innings. He may not overwhelm hitters with overpowering stuff, but his mix of four-seam fastball, changeup and cutter produces a healthy number of ground balls—ideal for the left side of the Giants' infield, which has a strong track record of converting those into outs. According to Baseball Savant, his offspeed run value is currently in the 98th percentile – an elite standing.

Again, a Kelly to San Francisco trade looks unlikely. But Arizona has decided to sell with the recent trades of Josh Naylor to Seattle and Randal Grichuk to Kansas City. Maybe they’d be inclined to consider this even if they’re current record of 51-55 isn’t too far away from that of the Giants.

For some strange reason, the Giants and A's rarely make trades. The last time they struck a deal was in 2020, when Oakland traded outfielder Jonah Cox to San Francisco, but before that, they hadn’t traded with each other since 1990. Now that they’re in Sacramento, could that change?

Could Jeffrey Springs be available?

Springs, 32, would add to a Giants rotation that lacks variety — or presence — from the left side. In 120 innings, Springs has racked up 95 strikeouts against 39 walks with a 4.13 ERA. His 18.9 K% has slipped significantly from last season’s total of 26.1%, but Sacramento hasn’t been the greatest venue to pitch in. He limits hard contact even though he’s averaging 90.5 mph with his fastball.

It’s a rather team friendly contract for Springs. He’s on the books for 2026 when he’s owed $10.5 million, along with a 2027 club option for $15 million. There are signs of decline, but he could still provide key innings in an October hunt.

A left-handed reliever! Erik Miller has been the go-to southpaw option for Bob Melvin, but he’s been shelved with an elbow issue. He'll be back soon, but any elbow injury should serve as a wake-up call for the organization, forcing them to reconsider how frequently they're using him. Joey Lucchesi has helped, but Angels’ Reid Detmers could certainly be a strong candidate in critical matchup situations when Miller is needed elsewhere.

Detmers, 26, was the tenth overall selection by the Angels in 2020 out of Louisville and bulldozed through the minor league system, debuting the following season. Following a few underwhelming years as a starter, the left-hander has exclusively been used out of the bullpen this season — and he’s looked awesome. In 44 games, Detmers has added a few extra miles per hour to his fastball, and as a result, he's getting big league hitters to not only chase, but also miss at a higher rate than ever before. His 3.99 ERA isn’t reflective of his xERA of 3.10, signalling he’s been plagued by weak contact and unluckiness.

Detmers is set to earn $1.82 million in 2025 and still has three more seasons of team control, making him both potentially costly and perhaps even out of reach. But he’d look like quite the weapon in the bullpen as a win-now and build for the future type of move. Plus, there’s always flexibility for him to stretch out and return to the rotation at some point.

We’re always looking for connections and Ramon Laureano has one — he played under Bob Melvin in Oakland. Yes, far from a game-changing or decision-altering anecdote, but an anecdote nonetheless. The Giants have an outfield set with Heliot Ramos in left, but Jung Hoo Lee’s struggles and Mike Yastrzemski’s dire need for a right-handed compliment calls on Posey to add another outfielder.

Now 31, the veteran outfielder inked a one-year, $4 million deal with the Orioles during the offseason and has cashed in nicely. He’s split time between left and right field, hitting in the middle-of-the-order for Baltimore with 14 homers and 43 RBI while slashing .275/.338/.514 with a 136 wRC+. It’s the best Laureano has ever looked offensively in his career.

Laureano carries a $6.5 million club option for 2026. It would be intriguing to see what Baltimore’s asking price might be, especially since they’ve discussed dealing Ryan O’Hearn, Charlie Morton and a handful of others. It could be a solid sell-low piece that could help next year, too.

Tyler Fitzgerald’s first-half struggles — which eventually led to his demotion to Triple-A Sacramento — along with the current mix-and-match featuring Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisley has elevated second base to the forefront when it comes to areas of need.

Miami’s Xavier Edwards is a young and controllable piece who would certainly help the future. However, there’s little to indicate the Marlins will actually pull the trigger on moving their 25-year-old second baseman. He’s impressed this season, slashing .297/.363/.364 with 17 stolen bases. He hits for virtually zero power and isn’t going to put up high exit velocity numbers, but he’ll put the ball in play with elite plate discipline. There’s always room for that, especially at the top of the order. It’s just a matter of whether he's available. If the Marlins say he is, it’ll be for a pretty penny.

The Twins are weighing their trade options and one of their top position players, Willi Castro, is gaining interest from a few different teams. The 28-year-old infielder isn’t going to wow at the plate — he’s rocking a .765 OPS heading into Monday’s action — but he can provide some defensive versatility. Minnesota has utilized him at second base, the corner outfield positions, third base and shortstop. He’s a rental so a low-level prospect could complete the deal.

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