Rays and Giants Reportedly Still Talking Relief Pitching in Trade
By Aaron Halford
Two second place teams—the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays—are engaged in trade discussions for relief pitching. Will something end up going down before the trade deadline?
Though both are far behind the first place teams in their respective divisions, the Wild Card remains a strong possibility for the two.
Rays, Giants Still Discussing Relief Pitching In Trade Talks https://t.co/ii9jlDSe5P pic.twitter.com/MgAbatdqCx
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 23, 2019
While a few weeks ago a deal between these two teams would have been no problem, a surging Giants team now with playoff hopes has won 16 of its last 19 games. Currently 15.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and only two games back in the Wild Card, GM Farhan Zaidi has some tough decisions to make.
Reporter: Are you less worried less conscious about a trade given the way the team is playing?
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 19, 2019
Bumgarner: “I don’t give a sh-t. I’m here to win games for this team and that’s what I’m doing.” #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/qqkGIkMyeJ
The Rays started the season red hot, but have cooled off a bit since. Though still 11 games over .500, winning the division has become less and less realistic.
While it's unclear whether the Giants will be willing to sell come the trade deadline, big moves could be coming next week. Will Madison Bumgarner stay or go? We'll find out soon enough. For now, though, we'll also have to wait and see if the Giants and Rays can end up striking up some deals.