© Rick Scuteri | 2021 Jul 18
If there wasn’t pressure on the Giants to make a move at the trade deadline before Tuesday night’s collapse to the Dodgers, it sure feels like there is on Wednesday.
Of course many fans are hollering for San Francisco to trade for a proper closer, hours after Tyler Rogers blew a one-run lead in the ninth inning. Yet former general manager and current baseball writer for The Athletic Jim Bowden expects Farhan Zaidi to go in a different direction in the next week or so.
Bowden told Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks on Wednesday that Zaidi and Co. are certainly sniffing around the league, specifically at three outfielders.
“Farhan Zaidi is usually the smartest baseball guy in every room I walk into and I think all you have to do is look at this Giants team to understand how smart he is,” Bowden said. “So he doesn’t always have to go get the biggest, sexiest name to find that under the radar guy to pick up. I’ve heard he’s out there looking for starting pitching, I’ve heard he’s out there talking about Starling Marte, Joey Gallo and Mitch Haniger and some other guys offensively.
“Farhan and Scott Harris will do their due diligence and will be involved in everything to see if there’s a deal out there that makes some sense.”
Despite that, Bowden ultimately believes the Giants will add pitching, but not to their bullpen.
“Zach Davies would be my prediction. I think he’s goes for a starting pitcher over another fourth outfielder. He’s got enough guys there. If you’re going to go for an outfielder, go big. Go Marte, Gallo or Haniger if you’re going to go outfielder, otherwise starting pitching.”
Davies, 28, is a right-hander who turned some heads with the Padres last year, posting a 2.73 ERA in 12 starts. He’s fallen back to Earth this season, with a 4.35 ERA in a league-high 20 starts for the Cubs, but he could provide a durable and more reliable arm at the back of a rotation that currently looks a bit flimsy.
Listen to the full interview below.