San Francisco Giants trade deadline primer: 3 storylines to watch

DENVER — Buster Posey was a major-league player for 11 trade deadlines. He understands the impact that a late-July addition can make on a clubhouse, from Marco Scutaro to Hunter Pence to Kris Bryant. He understands the impact inactivity can have on a clubhouse, too.

Posey also understands that not all successful trade deadline acquisitions have to be blockbusters. Prior to the Giants’ 8-7 walkoff loss at Coors Field on Thursday, Posey sat in the dugout and chatted with TV analyst Javier López, a former teammate and Core Four bullpen member on all three World Series championship teams and one of his most trusted advisers. It’s easy to forget: López, who has a bronzed plaque on the Giants’ Wall of Fame, arrived from Pittsburgh in a July 31 trade, too.

So how will Posey approach his first trade deadline as the Giants’ top decision maker? Probably by emulating the man in charge during his playing career. When former GM Brian Sabean saw an opportunity to acquire an impact player, he did not hesitate to shuffle the deck or package prospects. Compared to many of today’s executives, Sabean’s risk tolerance would be considered on the high side.

Will the Giants’ current president of baseball operations be less risk averse, as well? Posey hinted as much last week when he appeared on Tim Kawakami’s podcast and raved about one of the most controversial and ultimately unsuccessful trades of Sabean’s tenure. It happened at the deadline in 2011 while Posey was laid up with the fractured ankle he sustained in a home plate collision in late May.

Posey said he loved the Carlos Beltrán-for-Zack Wheeler trade.

“I just think it was such a bold move by Sabes, bringing in Carlos Beltrán, one of the great hitters in the game,” Posey told Kawakami. “And it was just a signal to the group that he felt like we were in a position to go out and win again.”

The Giants did not win down the stretch in 2011. Beltrán missed time with a hand injury and the Giants missed the playoffs. But going for it did not mean going for broke. The following season, with a healthy Posey winning an NL MVP award, the Giants returned to October glory and a parade route down Market Street. (Also, here is your required reminder that Wheeler was either hurt or ineffective for most of his career before reaching free agency, after which he blossomed into one of baseball’s premier aces.)

So if we assume the Giants and Posey will go for it without going for broke, what kinds of trades can have the biggest impact? And for what players? Let’s break it down:

No. 1: Offense remains Giants clearest need

The Giants are scoring 4.26 runs per game, which is just 0.06 runs below the league average. But they loaded up a lot of that production in April when they were creating constant traffic on the basepaths and collecting scads of situational hits. The lineup-wide cooling off period was so pronounced in May that Posey instituted his first roster shakeup June 4 when he designated LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment and signed first baseman Dom Smith. The Giants went on a seven-game winning streak after making those moves — they were set to make it eight before third baseman Casey Schmitt made a costly error and the Rockies scored three in the ninth to salvage Thursday’s series finale — and Smith, who hit a three-run homer on Thursday, has been a nice addition in the lineup and with his glove.

But the lineup still looks to be on the light side. The Giants are a game out of first place in the NL West but they’ve gotten there by going 21-9 against teams with losing records. They’ll likely need to produce more runs to hang with the better opponents on their schedule, beginning this weekend with their first visit of the year to Dodger Stadium.

Even if the Giants’ deep rotation and league-best bullpen give them a chance to win virtually every day, good teams should be equipped to win a slugfest every now and again. It’ll also be important for the Giants to coast to victories on occasion to take the pressure off the pitching staff.

Bryce Eldridge is the Giants’ future at first base but likely isn’t ready now to impact the right side of the Giants’ infield. (Andy Kuno / San Francisco Giants / Getty Images)

The most obvious place for the Giants to add a hitter is on the right side of the infield. Another first base option could allow them to use Smith in a more managed role and boost a bench that lacks veteran presence. With top prospect Bryce Eldridge at Triple-A Sacramento, though, they’d most likely limit themselves to the rental market for a first baseman.

They also could seek an upgrade at second base, where Tyler Fitzgerald has played well defensively but hasn’t resembled the player who dazzled for a 52-game stretch last season (.302/.355/.928 with 13 home runs) from early July to mid-September.

A lefty-mashing hitter would help anywhere the Giants could fit him in the lineup. The Giants are 32-17 against right-handed starters, trailing only the New York Mets for the best winning percentage in the majors. But manager Bob Melvin’s team is just 8-12 against left-handed starters.

Melvin tried exposing lefty-hitting right fielder Mike Yastrzemski to same-side pitching earlier this season, but that didn’t go so well. Jerar Encarnación is getting some of those starts against lefties now and the Giants will be patient as he works his way into rhythm after fracturing a finger in spring training. But if the Giants aren’t getting that production a few weeks from now, they almost assuredly will be scouring the market for a right-handed platoon partner for Yaz that could offer more than Encarnación (who is out of options) or Luis Matos (currently at Triple A).

The Giants probably shouldn’t limit themselves to platoon outfielders, though. An everyday presence that pushes Yastrzemski into a reserve role would deepen the position player core as well as the bench. In a perfect world, with Yastrzemski approaching free agency, the Giants would acquire a solid outfielder with club control for another season or three.

What about catcher? Perhaps the biggest mistake Sabean made in 2011 following Posey’s catastrophic injury was to stand pat at the position with Chris Stewart and Eli Whiteside. The Giants are rolling with Plan C behind the plate right now while Gold Glove catcher Patrick Bailey is on the 10-day IL with a strained neck. Although Bailey is likely to be ready when eligible to return June 19, he’s batting just .185. The Giants won’t sacrifice defense behind the plate, but another catching option who offers a little more with the bat wouldn’t hurt.

No. 2: Pitching depth gives Giants some trade chips

Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow shared an interesting insight in an appearance on KNBR last week.

“Buster Posey recently asked me, ‘Between Hayden Birdsong, Landen Roupp and (Kyle) Harrison, who do you think is the best one?’” Krukow told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “And I think it’s Harrison … because he has so many different ways to get better. Right now, he’s a 100 percent four-seam fastball guy.”

It’s a bit too early for the Giants to begin fielding offers for their young pitchers. But they know the calls are coming. They also know it’s just as important to have a handle on your own players as it is to do smart scouting homework on your potential trade targets.

Is Posey already beginning to assemble a pecking order when it comes to the Giants’ wealth of young pitching? It certainly seems that way. In terms of age and pure stuff, Harrison and Birdsong (both 23) will likely command more on the trade market than Roupp (26). Those factors also will make it harder for the Giants to part with either of their two young starting pitchers. Left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, who has won a pair of Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week honors for Sacramento this season, could be another significant piece to closing a deal.

The Giants don’t have another Wheeler in the system, though. So it could take multiple arms for the Giants to get an impact hitter.

What about former top shortstop prospect Marco Luciano, you ask? Even as a throw-in, it’s hard to imagine Luciano being attractive to opposing clubs. He’ll require a 40-man roster space, he hasn’t looked major-league ready at Sacramento, and he’ll be out of options next year.

No. 3: Outfielders the most likely targets

Names, names. You want names. We get how this works.

The responsible answer is that it’s too early. There’s no way to tell whether the Boston Red Sox will be buyers or sellers six weeks from now. Or the Baltimore Orioles. Or whether the ground will open up under McCovey Cove and swallow the Giants whole.

But the Red Sox, with their wealth of young position players, sure seem like an ideal matchup as a potential trade partner. Outfielder Jarren Duran is a triples and doubles machine whose game would be an ideal fit on the shores of McCovey Cove. Duran, who turns 29 in September, has three more years of club control, too. But if he’s available for a pitching package, the Giants almost assuredly will be competing with the NL West-rival San Diego Padres to acquire him. It’s almost impossible to outbid hyperactive Padres GM A.J. Preller without feeling a certain amount of discomfort.

After the Duran suggestion, well … you can look at the standings and the rosters as well as I can. Nathaniel Lowe? Luis Robert, Jr.? Jesús Sánchez? Ryan O’Hearn? Taylor Ward? Bryan Reynolds? Maybe even Marcell Ozuna if the Braves continue to free-fall?

All of them have warts. But a deadline acquisition doesn’t have to be a perfect player. Sometimes being the right player at the perfect time is enough.

(Photo of Posey with Patrick Bailey and Logan Webb: Suzanna Mitchell / San Francisco Giants / Getty Images)