Giants making future Hall of Famer available in trade talks

As recently as last week, it still seemed like the Giants would be buying at the trade deadline. It wasn’t long ago that they were linked to Isiah Kiner-Falefa (link) and thought to be interested in adding a right-handed hitting outfielder and at least one starting pitcher. Yet, they have now lost six straight, dropping them below .500. On Wednesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the Giants were listening to offers on their relievers, and the team confirmed as much when they shipped off Tyler Rogers to the Mets.

So, it now appears Buster Posey’s club will be selling over the next 21 hours, with legendary starting pitcher Justin Verlander the latest name on the block. Both Morosi and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman have noted that Verlander is available in trades. The 42-year-old has full no-trade rights, but it stands to reason that he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to join a contender for the stretch run. The bigger question to ask is if the Giants would be willing to eat any of his approximately $5M in remaining salary to make his contract more palatable for potential suitors.

Verlander is no longer an ace. He probably wouldn’t even make the postseason rotation for whichever contender might trade for him. Still, with a 4.53 ERA and a 4.58 SIERA in 18 starts this year, he would make a fine no. 5 starter for plenty of teams, with the upside to offer a little bit more. And while the value of so-called “veteran leadership” is difficult to quantify, Verlander’s extensive postseason resume and mentorship capabilities can only increase his appeal. The nine-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young winner, and two-time World Series champion has 3505 regular-season innings and another 226 postseason innings under his belt. He has played in 20 MLB seasons, and his teams have made the playoffs in 12 of those years.

While neither Morosi’s nor Heyman’s reports linked Verlander to any specific teams, the Tigers’ recent acquisition of Chris Paddack demonstrates that teams are indeed looking for back-end starters this time of year. Almost every team has innings to fill, and it’s not hard to see why a club might be interested in adding a future Hall of Famer to fill those frames.