The San Francisco Giants have to try whatever they can to find an impact bat.
When stacking the Giants up against their National League West rivals, the most obvious disparity is in the lineups. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fernando Tatís Jr. and Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres. Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
By comparison, the Giants have a lot of solid role players, but no one to carry the freight. And because banking on Matt Chapman or Willy Adames to put up an .850 OPS doesn’t seem all that realistic, they may need to start thinking about creative solutions..
Triston Casas of the Boston Red Sox might be the best young hitter available in trades this winter. Even if the Red Sox are claiming he’s not being shopped, it’s undeniable that they’re at least listening to offers on the 6-foot-5 first baseman.
In a recent YouTube video, content creator Robbie Hyde threw Casas out as a potential Giants trade target. In return, Hyde proposed that the Giants could send starting pitcher Kyle Harrison, who made 24 starts with a 4.56 ERA as a rookie in 2024, to Boston.
“For Casas, I could definitely see some interest out there,” Hyde said. “I think the Giants could use some more power at first base over LaMonte Wade (Jr.).”
Casas, who turns 25 next week, would have an excellent shot to become the first Giants lefty to hit 30 home runs in a season since Barry Bonds if he stayed healthy. He’s got light tower power–as the Giants found out firsthand in 2023 when he smashed a ball 30 rows into the left-center bleachers at Oracle Park off ace Logan Webb.
Would the Red Sox accept a one-for-one swap of Harrison, though, when their projected starting rotation already has six solid candidates? And would the Giants, who need young starters to supplement Webb, part with Harrison to begin with?
No one really knows, and that’s the fun in trade hypotheticals. Hyde’s proposal may not seem likely now, but in the endless realm of offseason possibilities, some things inevitably wind up coming to fruition.
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