The MLB trade deadline is at 3 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday, and the Giants could use a bit of everything. Like every baseball team ever, they need more starting pitching. They really need more hitting, particularly in the middle infield. They made a small trade on Monday, acquiring veteran outfielder A.J. Pollock for more bench depth.
Many of the most obvious rental players are already off the market, with the Mets and Cardinals selling off veterans from their disappointing rosters.
The Giants, rumored to be interested in trading for a pitcher, lost a starter on Sunday when Anthony DeSclafani hit the injured list with an elbow strain. But they may stand pat.
“It’s kind of a wake-up call on how easily that pitching depth can evaporate,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said after DeSclafani went down. “We’re kind of in a different position than we were even a week ago, and I think it’s less likely we explore something there. It kinda feels like we have just enough pitching to be comfortable and to have some options, but we’ll see what happens over the next day.”
The Giants are 58-49, 2.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. They lead a crowded wild card race, currently half a game up on the Phillies and a game up on the Marlins, Diamondbacks and Brewers. Their rivals for playoff spots have been aggressive, with the Marlins and Diamondbacks adding major relief help and the Brewers adding outfielder Mark Canha.
Justin Verlander not happening
The Giants kicked the tires on Verlander last month, but in the end, the Astros won out. The Mets’ stunning teardown continued Tuesday when Verlander was shipped to Houston, according to multiple reports. Verlander had a strong July after an up-and-down start to his ultimately brief tenure in New York. The Astros reportedly gave up two highly regarded prospects to get their longtime ace back, although it’s unclear how much of Verlander’s salary the Mets agreed to pay down. Verlander won two Cy Young Awards with Houston, in 2019 and 2022, after the Tigers traded him there in 2017.
Another starter came off the board Tuesday when the Phillies traded for Tigers starter Michael Lorenzen. Another Tiger, Eduardo Rodriguez, is still available.
Padres buying
The Padres, sitting under .500 and five games out of the wild card — six behind the Giants — are buying. San Diego reportedly acquired pitcher Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-man Choi from the Pirates on Tuesday. The 43-year-old Hill has gobbled up 119 innings for Pittsburgh this year, while Choi has six homers and a .731 OPS.
DeJong off the board
The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Cardinals infielder Paul DeJong from St. Louis as the Cardinals’ sell-off continues. The shortstop is batting .233 with 13 homers and 32 RBI, and arrives on a Blue Jays team that just lost Bo Bichette to a knee injury on Monday. DeJong was an obvious potential candidate for the Giants to add up the middle; San Francisco’s options there are dwindling.
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.