Report: Giants will listen to trade offers for veterans 'right now'
The San Francisco Giants dropped another series over the weekend, and they reportedly won't wait any longer to push their rebuild into high gear.
The perception from opposing teams is that the 17-23 Giants are open to receiving offers for their veteran players "right now," according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
Longtime ace Madison Bumgarner figures to be the most significant piece moved by the Giants before the July 31 trade deadline. Bumgarner, a pending free agent, reportedly has an eight-team no-trade clause that only includes contending clubs. However, Olney reported that MadBum's no-trade list was made strategically so he can negotiate a bonus if traded to a club that requires approval, which would be paid by the Giants.
Besides Bumgarner, contending teams will likely be interested in southpaw reliever Will Smith and veteran Derek Holland, according to Olney.
Smith has emerged as a bullpen ace for San Francisco this season, sporting a 0.89 WHIP with 10 saves in 16 outings to date. His relatively cheap salary of $4.225 million should make him an attractive deadline option.
Holland has struggled of late and was recently demoted to the bullpen after getting into a tiff with management about the validity of his recent stint on the injured list. However, he'd gotten off to a decent start before landing on the IL and has a track record of playoff success from his years with the Texas Rangers.
The Giants sit 8 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West, and their minus-36 run differential is the second-worst mark among NL clubs.