The San Francisco Giants wouldn’t have hoped for a 31-45 record just before the All-Star break, but it happened, and that too, having a few marquee names like Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, and Willy Adames. The best for the Giants would have been to start all over, but MLB doesn’t permit that. So, all they can do is move away from their most expensive names and make room for a new set of players.

With a 31-45 record so far, the Giants are steadily moving away from the playoff race, they likely becoming a big-time seller by the trade deadline. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, 3 players are there who are facing the most uncertainty in the Giants.

“The San Francisco Giants are hopeful of moving third baseman Matt Chapman – who is owed $100 million over the next four years and has a full no-trade clause – along with starter Robbie Ray and second baseman Luis Arraez. They’re pessimistic about the odds of trading Rafael Devers or Willy Adames with their bloated contracts,” Nightengale shared.

Chapman is going strong this year, recording 7 homers at .245, but his contract is what makes the Giants uncomfortable. He is signed to a 6-year, $151 million contract extension with the Giants, which runs through the 2030 season. Moreover, Chapman has a no-trade clause in his contract, which means the Giants can only hope for a trade, and the decision ultimately stands with Chapman himself.

Offloading him would clear around $100 million for the Giants to invest in other names. Additionally, moving Chapman creates a permanent starting role at third base for top prospect Casey Schmitt.

For Robbie Ray, the Giants want to extract the maximum value from a pending free agent rather than save up financial space. Ray is in the final year of his $115 million deal and has posted a 4.07 ERA so far this year. So, for the Giants, it would make more sense to give him up by the deadline and extract some value. Same with Arraez. His 1-year $12 million contract means he will hit free agency after 2026. He is batting .321, which could attract a good return for the Giants.

For Adames again, the Giants still owe a huge money. His deal pays him around $156 million over the five years following this season, with his annual salary spiking to over $31 million per year from 2027-2031. Because his contract is so heavy, the Giants would likely need to eat a significant portion of the money to facilitate a trade.

While Adames has scored 11 homers till now, his overall run production hasn’t met the high expectations set by his massive contract. For the Giants, seeking to build up the roster from scratch, giving up these fat contracts makes the most sense. NOTE: Adames also has a no-trade clause.

It all still depends on how the Giants rebound from their current slump and if they can. Also, how the potential trade chips are attracting the suitors.

A few teams have some trade offers for the Giants’ trade chips

Among the three rumored trade chips, the biggest attraction would be Matt Chapman. A career 210 HR slugger would surely create some noise in the trade market, and the Yankees could make him a perfect fit. For the Yankees, Chapman’s veteran experience would help to keep a workload away from Aaron Judge, and that $25 million AAV shouldn’t be a tough job for the Yankees.

Now, the trade could happen only if Chapman agrees. However, earlier, Chapman said his preference was to be with a winning team. The Giants are certainly not winning, but the Yankees are. So, mutual fit could work here. In giving up Chapman, the Giants could have Chase Hampton and Wilson Rodriguez.

Hampton was one of the Yankees’ top-10 prospects but got sidelined with Tommy John surgery. He recently got back and is showing the potential of a mid-to-upper-90s fastball. On the other hand, Rodriguez is the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for this month. He possesses 107+ mph exit velocity and 60-grade speed.

Still, the trade looks risky for the Giants, but a ground-up rebuild means this much risk is part of the job.