ARLINGTON -- President of baseball operations Buster Posey said the Giants were deep in trade talks on All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez on Sunday night, but he wasn’t sure if any other deals would end up coming to fruition ahead of Monday’s 3 p.m. PT Trade Deadline.
It ended up being a much busier 24 hours than anyone could have expected, though.
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By the time the dust settled, the Giants had traded away three pending free agents (Arraez, left-hander Robbie Ray and right-hander Tyler Mahle), three controllable players (outfielder Heliot Ramos and relievers Erik Miller and Caleb Kilian) and one prospect (outfielder Carlos Gutierrez) for a haul of eight young players, including five pitchers.
The exodus didn’t include veterans like Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Rafael Devers and Logan Webb, preventing the Giants from going into full teardown mode. But it was a drastic retooling for an organization that is clearly looking toward the future after cratering to the bottom of the National League West this year.
“I guess you can characterize it how you want,” Posey during a Zoom call with reporters Monday ahead of the Giants' 5-1 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. “I wouldn't necessarily say [it’s] a rebuild. Obviously, we moved six Major League players off of our roster today. I guess the message is we're not satisfied with the way that we've played this year and the last few years. We're trying everything we can to continue to build a product that we can all be excited to come and watch.
“That was really the goal in this. Even if we have to subtract a little bit now, can we potentially add some players that we think our fans are going to be excited about and hopefully wear a Giants uniform for a long time?”
TRADE DETAILS
Phillies receive: INF Luis Arraez, RHP Caleb Kilian
Giants receive: RHP Ramon Marquez (SF's No. 7 prospect), RHP Marty Gair (High-A reliever)
Yankees receive: OF Heliot Ramos
Giants receive: LHP Henry Lalane (SF's No. 9 prospect), IF Kaeden Kent (No. 22)
Red Sox receive: LHP Erik Miller, OF Carlos Gutierrez
Giants receive: INF Marcelo Mayer
Padres receive: LHP Robbie Ray, cash
Giants receive: RHP Miguel Mendez (SF's No. 13 prospect), IF Joniel Hernandez (No. 21)
Braves receive: RHP Tyler Mahle
Giants receive: RHP Anthony Molina
The deals for Arraez, Ray and Mahle weren’t surprising since the trio was on expiring contracts. But the Giants’ willingness to part with Ramos -- a 2024 All-Star who was the team’s longest-tenured position player -- and two of their better relievers (Miller and Kilian) signaled a more aggressive approach from the front office, which wanted to prioritize adding high-end starting pitching to the club’s farm system this year.
The Giants certainly seemed to achieve that aim, as they were thrilled to come away with a new crop of young hurlers led by right-hander Ramon Marquez, left-hander Henry Lalane and right-hander Miguel Mendez.
Posey said he was particularly excited to land the 20-year-old Marquez, who was ranked as the Phillies’ No. 4 prospect before being traded for Arraez and Kilian on Monday. Marquez had a 1.68 ERA with 93 strikeouts over 59 innings in 12 appearances (11 starts) between Single-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore this year and should join the recently drafted Jackson Flora as one of the top pitching prospects in the Giants’ farm system.
“I'd like to specifically highlight a guy, Ramon Marquez,” Posey said. “He was one that our scouts had flagged early on in this process, and a guy that we weren't sure we were going to have access to. He’s somebody that we're extremely excited to add to the system. We feel like he's a starting pitcher that's going to slot up in the top of our system going forward. A guy like that, I think, is going to probably carry a little bit more weight than a few other pitchers that might be a tier or two down below that.”
The Giants’ returns also included a pair of notable infielders in Kaeden Kent, the son of Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, and Marcelo Mayer, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft. Kent is the second legacy player to enter the organization this year, joining 2026 third-round Draft pick Peyton Bonds, the nephew of Giants legend Barry Bonds.
Acquiring Mayer could be another coup for the Giants, though the 23-year-old is currently on the 10-day injured list with a bone stress reaction in his left ulna. Mayer slashed .223/.278/.346 with seven homers and 32 RBIs over 114 games for the Red Sox over the past two seasons, but he was once regarded as one of the top infield prospects in the game and could be a candidate to replace Arraez as the Giants’ starting second baseman once he’s healthy.
Despite Monday’s sell-off, Posey said he’s confident that the flurry of moves will ultimately set the Giants up to return to prominence in the next couple of years.
“I do think that we feel like there’s still a chance, as bad as this year has been, that we can be a team that can be in contention,” Posey said.