Giants Listed As Top Trade Fit for Braves Veteran To Upgrade Lineup

The San Francisco Giants have exceeded all expectations heading into the All-Star break this season.

Many projections had the Giants being around a .500 team, but they are right in the mix in the National League playoff picture with a 52-45 record heading into the Midsummer Classic, only a half-game behind the San Diego Padres, who are holding the third wild card spot.

San Francisco should be able to stick in the race throughout the end of the campaign, but if they want to qualify for the playoffs, they will need to continue finding upgrades for their roster.

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President of baseball operations Buster Posey has shown a willingness to be aggressive and make upgrades, pulling off the biggest trade of the year when he acquired Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox.

It will be interesting to see what else he has up his sleeve, because the team has clear needs remaining.

One of the spots that could use an upgrade is catcher, where Patrick Bailey remains one of the truly elite defenders but has provided the team with virtually zero impact at the plate.

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In the midst of the worst offensive season of his career, Bailey has a .203/.267/.297 slash line with an OPS+ of 64. He has hit only two home runs, 11 doubles and two triples with 26 RBI in 250 plate appearances.

His impact behind the plate defensively should not be understated, but if he continues performing that poorly with the bat, the Giants need to evaluate other options to at least have a platoon at catcher.

Where could Posey look to find an upgrade?

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One player to keep an eye on is Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves.

Ranked No. 20 in the newest MLB trade deadline Big Board put together at The Athletic (subscription required, the veteran catcher could be made available with the Braves being 9.5 games out of the NL wild card race.

Given a middle-of-the-road likelihood of being traded, it could be heading toward likely given the team’s struggles.

Murphy is a rare commodity Atlanta could look to cash in on, given his recent All-Star nomination and the fact that he is locked into a long-term deal through 2028.

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The Braves also have a young catcher, Drake Balwdin, who has emerged as an everyday contributor.

“All of that makes Murphy an exceedingly rare commodity: an everyday catcher who was recently an All-Star and is in the midst of another strong season. At a position of scarcity, Murphy could be a short-term solution with long-term impact,” wrote The Athletic.

San Francisco doesn’t look ready to give up on Bailey, but if Murphy can be acquired at an affordable price, Posey should think long and hard about pulling the trigger on a deal.

For more Giants news, head over to Giants On SI.