The Giants appeared to be in sell mode with the MLB Trade Deadline fast approaching Tuesday. They ended up in no-man's land.
Less than 90 minutes before the deadline, MLB reporters Robert Murray and Jon Heyman reported that the Giants have traded veteran catcher Curt Casali and injured southpaw Matt Boyd to the Seattle Mariners for minor league relief pitcher Michael Stryffeler and catcher Andy Thomas. The move was confirmed by the Giants Tuesday afternoon.
The move came about an hour after outfielder Darin Ruf was shipped to the New York Mets, as the Giants also dealt Trevor Rosenthal to the Milwaukee Brewers but held on to Carlos Rodón and Joc Pederson.
Rodón will likely opt-out of his 2023 contract agreement with San Francisco this offseason and seek a richer multiyear deal elsewhere. Pederson is also set to be an unrestricted free agent, so the Giants have motivation to trade him Tuesday. Letting both leave empty-handed while missing out on the playoffs would be a big loss for San Francisco.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported there was interest in Rodón, but nothing materialized.
Casali is a respected veteran presence in the clubhouse and a trusted defender/game-caller but was limited at the plate. His absence should pave the way for a full-time look at enigmatic former top prospect Joey Bart, along with recently acquired minor leaguer Ford Proctor.
Boyd is yet to throw a pitch for the Giants since signing a one-year, $5.2 million deal this past offseason, but Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area provided an update on his progress.
Styffeler is already 26 and is still in Double-A, so he’s not viewed as a high-impact prospect. But he right-hander is posting a 2.27 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 19 walks in 35 2/3 innings this season. Thomas is 24 and is still playing in High-A.
After watching the Padres acquire Juan Soto, Josh Hader, Josh Bell and Brandon Drury, it doesn’t make sense for the Giants to get stuck in the middle. San Francisco (51-52) is in third place in the heavy-hitting National League West, 18.5 games back of Los Angeles (69-33) and 12 games back of San Diego (58-46), and 4.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot.
