Insider Reveals Underwhelming Plan for Giants' Trade Deadline

The San Francisco Giants' mediocre first half is perplexing when you dive into the numbers. San Francisco ranks fifth across baseball in runs scored and just 11th in ERA. Despite those strong metrics, the Giants are just 48-47 and trail the final NL Wild Card spot by 2.0 games.

It's a far cry from the 107 wins this franchise racked up in 2021, but some smart maneuvering at the trade deadline could turn things around. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal spoke with some league sources about one potential plan for the Giants this trade season, and it's underwhelming to say the least.

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Rosenthal indicated his sources think the Giants may consider adding "an above-average defender who would not only upgrade them at say, shortstop or center field, but also allow manager Gabe Kapler to deploy better defensive configurations overall."

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The metrics do back this up as a glaring area of need, considering San Francisco ranks near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency (28th), outs above average (27th) and defensive runs saved (28th).

This is more a question whether that type of acquisition moves the needle enough. The Giants only real hope is the Wild Card, considering they trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by 16.5 games in the division standings. But, does a defensive addition close a 2.0-game Wild Card gap with teams like the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres in the running?

San Francisco also has a clear need at the catcher position. Joey Bart is slashing just .191/.303/.351 and backup Austin Wynns slugs under .300. The Giants have been opportunistic with their runs when you look at their overall slugging percentage, which ranks just 13th in baseball.

Rosenthal names Ramón Laureano as a potential fit in this one trade deadline theory. Five other Giants starters' hold higher slugging percentage numbers this season, making this more of a stagnant move than anything else.

The Giants currently hold +6000 odds to win the 2022 World Series on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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