San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey knew he had his work cut out to get the team back to the level of prominence if was at during his playing career.
Taking over for Farhan Zaidi last winter, there were a number of tasks that needed to be completed. In his first free agency, Posey landed one of the top players available, Willy Adames. He agreed to a historic seven-year, $182 million deal and addressed a major need at shortstop. The team also signed future Hall of Famer, Justin Verlander.
Things got off to a hot start with the Giants as one of the more pleasant surprises early on. When that magic starter to wear away, Posey made another splash. Knowing his lineup needed help, he pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox to acquire Rafael Devers.
Things haven’t panned out since that deal, with San Francisco being near the bottom of the league since adding Devers to their lineup. But, it is clear that he is willing to be aggressive when filling needs. That should continue this offseason with clear weaknesses existing on the roster to be addressed.
One that Posey will think long and hard about making a move at is catcher. Patrick Bailey is an elite defensive player behind the plate. Unfortunately, all the positives he has with his glove are undone by him being one of the worst hitters in baseball.
As a result, it should come as little surprise that the Giants were recently listed as the No. 1 landing spot in a trade for Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. His time with the franchise looks to be nearing an end. The Orioles’ top prospect, Samuel Basallo, was signed to a long-term extension days after making his MLB debut.
It is unlikely both catchers will be kept, making Rutschman expendable. That is good news for San Francisco, because they look like they need a change behind the plate. Bailey’s numbers have actually worsened with the bat as his career has gone along, likely forcing the front office’s hand.
What could a deal between the Giants and Baltimore look like? Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report has suggested a simple, one-for-one swap. San Francisco would acquire Rutschman with right-handed pitched Landen Roupp heading to the Orioles.
“As Roupp has five additional years of club control to Rutschman's two, this deal would be lopsided in favor of Baltimore in that respect. But it would also be relatively fair, as the O's would get an established hurler to plug right into their rotation and the Giants would get a dose of star power for 2026 and 2027,” Rymer wrote.
Loupp has certainly looked the part of a Major League rotation arm. He was productive in 2025 during his first chance at being a starter full time in the Big Leagues. Injuries limited him to only 22 starts with a 3.80 ERA across 106.2 innings with 102 strikeouts.
Parting ways with Loupp, after trading Kyle Harrison as part of the Devers package to the Red Sox, would further deplete the team’s pitching depth. But, the team does still have Hayden Birdson and acquired Blade Tidwell from the New York Mets in the Tyler Rogers deadline deal. Carson Whisenhunt recently made his MLB debut as well, so there are some young arms with upside the team could call upon.
The difference in team control is the only reason San Francisco would hesitate on pulling the trigger on this deal. But that shouldn’t be a deterrent. Lineup upgrades are what the Giants need most, and Rutschman would provide that.
Even his underwhelming production the last season and a half would be a huge upgrade on what Bailey is providing. Should he return to his All-Star form, San Francisco would really be in business inserting him into a lineup with Devers, Adames, Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos. And star prospect Bryce Eldridge not being far away himself.
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