Above only the Rockies in the National League, the Giants are seemingly beginning preparation to sell at the deadline. The early focus has been on impending free agents Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray — as well as the team’s openness to shedding the Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman contracts.
Those are all self-explanatory. Arraez is an obvious trade chip if they’re not going to sign him to an extension. They can pay down a portion of Ray’s $25MM salary to get a mid-tier prospect back for him. The other three contracts are above market value, especially the Adames and Devers deals. They’re not going to offload those entire contracts. Are they motivated enough that they’d pay down half the money to find a trade partner for Adames or Devers? Chapman’s deal isn’t as unfavorable but is also complicated by his full no-trade clause; he told Evan Weckek of The California Post last night that he hasn’t given the no-trade clause any thought because he hasn’t heard anything from president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
Adames, Devers and Chapman have three of San Francisco’s five significant long-term contracts. The team’s early messaging is that they’re not looking to move ace Logan Webb. There hasn’t been much speculation about Jung Hoo Lee, whom they could more easily replace than Webb but whose contract would be less onerous than those of their other three expensive hitters.
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