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2 bold trade ideas that could reshape the Giants’ roster before the deadline

San Francisco Giants On SI · Jul 21, 2026 23:00 · 3 min read

2 Bold Trade Ideas That Could Reshape the Giants’ Roster Before the Deadline — Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former MLB GM Jim Bowden proposes two trade deadline moves for the Giants, including acquiring George Kirby and trading All-Star Luis Arraez.

Former MLB general manager and analyst Jim Bowden has suggested two trades he believes the San Francisco Giants should consider before the trade deadline, including adding a starting pitcher and moving All-Star infielder Luis Arraez.

In his trade deadline column for The Athletic, Bowden proposed that the Giants first acquire Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby in return, the Mariners would get infielder Casey Schmitt and left-handed pitcher Erik Miller.

Bowden believes Kirby would give the Giants another top starter to pair with Logan Webb. He also sees the move as a way for San Francisco to begin replacing Robbie Ray, whom he expects the Giants to trade. Kirby, 28, also offers long-term value because he still has two and a half years of arbitration eligibility remaining.

In this scenerio, even if Robbie Ray isn’t traded, adding Kirby would significantly upgrade the rotation. Adding Kirby to pitch alongside Logan Webb for the next several seasons makes sense. If it isn’t Kirby it should be somone like him.

The Giants solved a short-term problem by signing Tyler Mahle to a one-year contract. A player like Kirby solves a longer-term problem.

The second trade proposal involves sending Luis Arraez to the Texas Rangers. In that deal, the Giants would receive left-handed pitching prospect Dalton Pence and infield prospect Yolfran Castillo. The Rangers would add Arraez as they look to strengthen their lineup.

Bowden argued that San Francisco, which is well out of the playoff race, should move Arraez before he reaches free agency. He believes acquiring two promising prospects would help rebuild the Giants' farm system.

Arraez comes with more risk than many might expect. Although the three-time batting champion remains one of baseball's best contact hitters, his production this season has outperformed his underlying metrics. His defensive improvement has also stood out after working with former Rangers manager Ron Washington in San Francisco.

On the other hand, Castillo has enjoyed a breakout season and was named one of Baseball America's top rising prospects earlier this year. Playing at Hickory, he has batted .285/.394/.409 with four home runs and 41 stolen bases. He has also posted a career-best .124 ISO while drawing more walks than strikeouts.

San Francisco Giants infielder Luis Arraez | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pence has also put together an impressive season. The left-hander has made 15 appearances, including 14 starts, between Hub City and Frisco. Across 75 innings, he owns a 2.52 ERA, a 27.6% strikeout rate, and an 8.1% walk rate.

Ranked as the Rangers' No. 12 prospect, Pence projects as a back-end starting pitcher. Texas also selected three highly regarded pitchers with its first four draft picks, making the organization better positioned to consider moving Pence in the right trade package.

It remains to be seen whether the Giants and Rangers will pursue such a deal, but should San Francisco make these moves, it could completely reshape their roster.

The Giants have a lot of decisions to make in the next two weeks. Buster Posey has work to do, what he accomplishes will say a lot about the direction of the team.