San Francisco Giants Outfielder Linked To Philadelphia Phillies In Trade Rumors

The San Francisco Giants outfielder could make a perfect trade candidate for the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline.

Apr 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants left fielder Michael Conforto (8) before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Oracle Park. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants season is teetering between actual playoff contention and becoming sellers at the MLB trade deadline.

If they were to have another slide and become sellers, they have a couple of players on the roster that could be attractive trade piece.

One big name to watch is outfielder Michael Conforto.

As Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller made his latest trade deadline 'predictions,' he highlighted the Philadelphia Phillies need for another outfield bat. He gave Conforto as a potential name to fill that need.

The 31-year-old signed a two-year, $36 million deal with San Francisco back in January of 2023. He had the option to head back to free agency after the last campaign, but opted in after missing some time to injury and only playing in about two-thirds of the games.

Overall, he's taken a step back from his time with the New York Mets. He's had flashes this year, but is currently ice cold at the plate.

One of the easiest knocks on him since the 2021 season has been his decline in power hitting. He was once a twenty-five to thirty-five type home run hitter, but has only gotten as many as 15 since 2019.

His 2020 season was actually one of his best, but of course that was the shortened year due to the pandemic.

Through 45 games this season, he's slashing .247/.301/.441. He's in the middle of a cold streak, though, going just 2-for-23 at the plate since returning from injury. He did hit one home run, but his numbers are still very bad right now.

A trade partner might not be too scared off by that, though, since his OPS was up to .821 before his injury.

Philadelphia does make a lot of sense for a trade partner with the Giants, especially for Conforto.

Though they do have one of the best records in baseball, the Phillies desperately need another bat in their outfield.

Two starters have below .650 OPS for the season in Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos. Conforto would likely be a replacement for Castellanos given that Rojas is a speedy, defensive center fielder.

While the San Francisco slugger has been in a slump for the past week, Castellanos has struggled all season long.

Conforto makes sense as a rental option that has plenty of experience in right field despite only playing in left this season. He would also likely not be very expensive, but still worth the Giants trading him away to pick up something for him.