Giants Baseball Insider

Could San Francisco Giants Really Consider Trading Top Veteran Outfielder?

The San Francisco Giants could soon have their hand forced by an up and coming slugging prospect.
Kade Kistner|
Mar 17, 2024; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Luis Matos (29) reacts during
Mar 17, 2024; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Luis Matos (29) reacts during | Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

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San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are off to a fairly cold start in the scorching hot National League West.

After the additions of Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jordan Hicks in MLB free agency, the expectations are high for the 2023 MLB season. But a 4-6 start to the year is far from what the front office, players and fans expected.

Especially, when trying to chase down the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It also does not help that Michael Conforto has been the best hitter on the squad to start the season slashing .351/.415/.703 with three home runs.

In fact, Conforto is really the only Giants player (along with Jorge Soler) producing at the plate at the moment, despite having multiple veteran outfield options on the roster such as Mike Yastrzemski and Jung Hoo Lee.

The former has an OPS of just .273 while Lee is sitting at .549, neither of which can be described as serviceable. Austin Slater, who has long been depended on in the Bay Area has an OPS of just .222 to begin the season.

But there could be reinforcements on the way in the form of Luis Matos, one of the most highly touted prospects in the Giants' system. Matos slashed .314/.375/.667 with four home runs in Cactus League play and was even up at the Major League level for a cup of coffee to begin the 2024 season.

It is a bit surprising that Matos did not remain with the Big League club longer than his one game stint, but the idea is to allow him to get regular at-bats at Triple-A. Still, with the current performance of the outfield, Matos may be getting the call to reinforce the unit sooner rather than later.

That prompted Around the Foghorn to contemplate what would happen to a veteran like
Yastrzemski or Slater, perhaps a trade?

If Matos can force his way to another promotion and be able to stick at the level by the July 30 MLB trade deadline, there may be a path to moving one of the veterans for some extra help for a stretch run.

It could also provide some financial flexibility by removing part of Yastrzemski's $7.9 million salary.

Of course, this all hinges on Matos' ability to perform at the level and one or all of the veteran outfielders to continue miring in a slump. For now, San Francisco has an opportunity to gain some ground in the standings as they are slated to face the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins in the coming week.

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl.  During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated.  Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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