Add The California Post on Google ARLINGTON, Texas — The roster assembled by Buster Posey was so disappointing, so underwhelming that the only question for weeks leading up to Monday’s trade deadline was just how much it would be dismantled and what could be fetched in return.
In his second trade deadline leading the Giants’ baseball operations, the former catcher took a big swing, and upon initial review, looks to have hit a desperately needed home run.
The haul: A 23-year-old infielder considered a consensus top-20 prospect in baseball as recently as last season. A coveted Cuban shortstop from the latest international signing period. A trio of pitching prospects considered among the top five in their previous organizations.
The cost: A staggering six players off San Francisco’s flailing major-league roster.
“I think we feel good about the moves we made,” Posey said on a conference call with reporters about 30 minutes after the 3 p.m. PT deadline had passed. “… I guess you can characterize it how you want. I wouldn’t necessarily say a rebuild.”
Indeed, it wouldn’t be a full rebuild without getting off at least a portion of the nearly $500 million still owed to Willy Adames, Rafael Devers and Matt Chapman. But Posey and general manager Zack Minasian went further than merely unloading the players set to be free agents this winter.
In addition to the expected trades of Luis Arraez, Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle, the Giants shipped away two players under team control for another three years in Heliot Ramos and Erik Miller. Of the trades to be completed Monday — Mahle was sent to Atlanta late Sunday night — only the Arraez deal, which also included Caleb Kilian, had been set in motion before the day began.
“Today was a lot of phone calls and back and forth,” Posey said, crediting the “months and weeks” of legwork put in by their pro scouting department leading up to the big day.
While Posey said that San Francisco “made it known to teams that we were willing to talk about any player,” they needed to be blown away to consider dealing either Ramos or Miller.
Mission accomplished: Miller fetched them Marcelo Mayer, the highly regarded Red Sox shortstop prospect who ran into trouble with injuries and production in the big leagues. Ramos was thrilled to be teaming up with Aaron Judge on the Yankees, who sent the Giants a tall 22-year-old left-hander, Henry LaLane, and Kaeden Kent, Jeff Kent’s son, in return.
“Miller was a tough one,” Posey said. “But we also see Mayer as a guy … we feel like we can get him back on track to where he was trending a couple years ago.”
Mayer was the most big-league ready of any of the eight prospects the Giants acquired and probably comes with the most pedigree, too. Once healthy, he gives them an option to replace Arraez at second base and, down the road, could give them the flexibility to move Adames.
In Kent and 17-year-old international signee Joniel Hernandez, San Francisco further padded the strength of its farm system with two more lower-level middle infielders.
Hernandez, who signed this past January for $1.4 million, has made a strong first impression in the Dominican Summer League. The Giants were so enthused that they were willing to pay down a portion of Ray’s contract so that the Padres would include him. They nearly drafted Kent last July, but he came off the board 13 picks too early, at No. 103.
Not to be overlooked: The possibility of another Bonds-Kent pairing in the Giants lineup a few years in the future after they also drafted Barry Bonds’ nephew, Peyton, last month.
Posey smiled at the idea but added, “it has nothing to do with their dads.”
The system had been light on pitching — and it might be pretty tough to watch the rest of the way at the major-league level — but that’s no longer the case after taking arms with their first three picks of last month’s draft and putting more emphasis on pitching at the deadline.
“It has been a focus to try to add some starting pitching to the system that we think can help us in the next couple years,” Posey said. “We felt LaLane fit that mold for us.”
LaLane and Ramon Marquez should join Jackson Flora (No. 4 overall) and Carson Bolemon (No. 29 overall) among the Giants’ top 10 prospects. The list entering the draft would have featured seven or eight position players depending on the prospect service.
Marquez, a 20-year-old right-hander with a 1.68 ERA in the minors this year, was the crown jewel of the package for Arraez and Kilian. He was the Phillies’ No. 3 or 4 prospect and, according to Minasian, “somebody our scouts flagged early on and someone we didn’t know if we’d have access to.”
At the end of the day, Posey made about the best he could out of a bad situation. Ideally, a team in a market the size of San Francisco, with the proud history and passionate fanbase that the Giants have, running almost a $200 million payroll, shouldn’t be selling off parts.
But with the shape of the roster and the results it has produced, beginning deadline day with the second-fewest wins in the National League, Posey had no other choice.
“We’re trying everything we can to continue to build a product that we all can be excited to come and watch,” Posey said. “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.”
