The San Francisco Giants may very well look to add starting pitching before the July 31st MLB trade deadline, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with Cincinnati Reds RHP Mike Leake the name Rosenthal points to as a potential fit. However, such a move would likely have to come with a sacrifice.
According to Rosenthal, "the Giants' bullpen, in particular, is not what it was during the team's championship seasons; another late-inning reliever would help. The rotation, too, is down, but the Giants have significant money tied up in righties Matt Cain, Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson; would they need to off-load a salary to add, say, the Reds' Leake?"
While Leake is not a game-changer in the same mold of his teammate, RHP Johnny Cueto, he is still a serviceable back-end starter who keeps the ball down in the zone and limits troublesome fly balls when on his mark.
Leake, 27, is 6-5 on the year with a 4.08 ERA and 1.238 WHIP. He is a free agent after this season and any trade suitor would be on the hook for just under half of his $9.78 million salary.
Would the Giants trade out some salary to balance out the books on a Leake trade? It seems unlikely, but anything is possible before the deadline.
Follow our San Francisco Giants team page for all the latest Giants news and rumors!
Back to the San Francisco Giants Newsfeed