Giants Make Trade With Tigers After 3 Straight Losses

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Charlie O'Keefe | Last updated Mar 30, 2026 6:26 PM ET

It's been a frustrating start to the season for the San Francisco Giants, who have scored just one run in their first three games of the season, all losses. But the Giants took a step towards improving their pitching depth on Monday, acquiring right-handed reliever Dylan Smith from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations.

Smith will report to the Giants Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats, for now. But the 25-year-old got his first taste of major league action last season, allowing just two runs in thirteen innings pitched for a 1.38 earned run average.

Fansided's Robert Murray first reported the trade on Monday, noting that "Smith was recently designated for assignment by Detroit" which is likely why the Giants were able to acquire him for cash alone.

Sources: The Giants are acquiring reliever Dylan Smith in a trade with the Tigers for cash considerations. Smith was recently designated for assignment by Detroit.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) March 30, 2026

In addition to his cup of coffee in the majors, Smith had a strong minor league season in 2025: across four minor league levels, the reliever had a 2.27 ERA and struck out 57 batters in 39 and 2/3 innings pitched. Now, he'll wait for a call to join the Giants bullpen in the event of an injury or poor performance from one of the current options.

The Tigers drafted Smith in the third round of the 2021 draft from University of Alabama, and after shaky minor league seasons in 2022, 2023 and 2024, it all came together for Smith in 2025. Relying primarily on his fastball-sweeper combo, Smith began the year at Double-A and was making his major league debut by June.

Whether Smith ends up factoring heavily into the Giants season or not remains to be seen, but the Giants aren't forced to make any corresponding moves given that he is reporting to Triple-A.

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello © Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

It's far too early in the season to draw any real conclusions about any team, but the Giants have been dreadfully uninspiring in their first three efforts of the season. Their lineup was shut out completely in the first two games of their series against the New York Yankees, and they scored just one run in the final game while hitting into four double plays.

Their pitching has been adequate enough, allowing thirteen runs in those first three games, but it never hurts to add pitching depth and President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey accomplished just that by acquiring Dylan Smith on Monday. He should see some time in the majors if he continues to pitch well at Triple-A.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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