MLB Trade Notes: How Experts Evaluated Giants Cobb and Canha Deals originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
The Giants made a few moves at the MLB trade deadline, but none of them were exactly seismic transactions.
San Francisco trading designated hitter Jorge Soler and relief pitcher Luke Jackson for the Atlanta Braves on Monday night was perhaps the biggest change president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and Co. made.
The Giants made a few trades before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, including trading veteran starting pitcher Alex Cobb for the Cleveland Guardiansrelief pitcher Mike Baumann for the Los Angeles Angels and acquiring outfielder Mark Canha in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
None of the changes were important, but they helped the Giants free up salary, open opportunities for young players and bolster the bench with veteran depth.
Here’s how MLB experts evaluated San Francisco’s deadline changes:
“The Giants reduced their future financial exposure by trading Jorge Soler and Alex Cobb, but they didn’t do much to improve their chances of making the playoffs this year other than bringing in left-handed reliever Tyler Matzek and right-handed hitter Mark Canha, who has power and can go for walks from the bench,” wrote Jim Bowden.
“They listened to Blake Snell, but that’s all they did. Now they have to hope that Snell and Robbie Ray can perform like the Cy Young Award winners they have in the past and, along with the rest of the team, just try to catapult themselves into the postseason, I just question whether this offense is any good at all. enough to get them there.”
Grade for all Giants deadline trades 😀
Canha Trade:
“Canha is having a rough year by his standards, posting a sub-.700 OPS for the first time since he was a 28-year-old for the A’s in 2017,” wrote Zachary Rymer. “He can, however, still give lefties a hard time. Although he has a .639 OPS against righties, he exploited the platoon advantage for an .857 OPS against lefties.
“Most teams would have some use for a right-handed platoon, but the Giants can use Canha in conjunction with left-handed hitters at first base and in both corners of the outfield. Even if it’s just a little bit, he can help the team advance in the playoffs.”
Grade for giants: B
Grade for Tigers: C
Cobb Commerce:
“Assuming they don’t eat any of this, the Giants are parting with the remaining $3.3 million of Cobb’s $10 million salary,” Rymer added. “It’s not as much as Jorge Soler’s savings, but it’s something. The fact that the Giants are also getting a prospect back is a nice bonus, even if that prospect is just a projectable 19-year-old lefty who only recently made his single-A debut. It’s not much more than a lottery ticket.
“My complaint with this trade is more philosophical. After the Soler trade, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle hinted that the Giants would make no more cuts. But then they did it, dealing yet another self-inflicted blow to their hopes in the playoffs.”
Note for giants: W
Note to Guardians: A
“The Guardians are shopping Alex Cobb incredibly low as they improve what has turned out to be a lackluster rotation,” wrote Zachary Rotman. “Cobb missed the entire season with shoulder and hip injuries, but is close to returning. In fact, he was ready to return but missed his last scheduled match due to a blister.
“Unless the player to be named later is a bigger name, it’s hard to see the Giants as winners right now, especially if they don’t continue to sell and trade Snell. is hitting free agency at the end of the year and hasn’t released anything this season, but with how much of a seller’s market this has turned out to be, Cleveland has done very well here to add a starter to Cobb’s track record without giving too much away.”
Grade for giants: C
Grade for Guardians: B+
“It wasn’t so much about the players returning to the Giants as it was about terminating Soler’s contract as they felt some buyer’s remorse despite his 116 OPS+ bat. They also wanted to make room for Marco Luciano,” wrote Andrew Mearns. “They may also regret not trading Blake Snell and Matt Chapman, who could opt out. While they’re not in great Wild Card form, they’re apparently just holding their own.
“How many years of wiggle room did the impressive 2021 buy Farhan Zaidi as the Giants’ president of baseball operations? If they miss the playoffs again, we could start to see him sweat. Does Melvin still like him a lot? That seems right. Or maybe Patrick Dubuque of Baseball Prospectus is onto something.
Grade for all Giants deadline trades 😀
