As the SF Giants are looking to upgrade their roster going into 2026 an old friend in Mauricio Dubón has been traded to a new team after drawing some interest ahead of the non-tender deadline. He could have been an interesting candidate for reunion.
Dubón was traded from the Houston Astros to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for infielder Nick Allen. This came after reports that there was a good amount of interest in Dubón.
Houston Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart reported on social media: “There’s growing trade interest in Astros Gold Glove utility player Mauricio Dubón, who could be dealt prior to Friday’s tender deadline, a source said.”
Former SF Giants utility man drawing interest on trade market
Giants fans will remember Dubón from his time with the Giants from 2019 to 2022. He was acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019 that sent pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to Milwaukee in exchange for Dubón.
He ended up being a decent utility player for the team, serving as a utility infielder for the Giants who also played well in center field. He showed promise in 2019 and 2020 for the Giants, slashing .279/.312/.442 with four home runs and nine runs batted in after they got him from the Brewers in 2019.
He followed that up with a solid showing in the 60-game season of 2020, slashing .274/.337/.389 with four homers and 19 runs batted in. 2021 saw a bit of a drop off offensively as his playing time went down a bit and he was not a regular starter.
His offense continued to dwindle in 2022, and when push came to shove and there was a roster crunch the Giants decided to trade Dubón to Houston. That may have come back to bite the Giants as they struggled defensively after trading him away.
Since then, the native of Honduras who went to high school in Sacramento has won two Gold Gloves for the Astros and helped them win the 2022 World Series. Both were for the utility Gold Glove Award which is meant to recognize players like Dubón who do not have a set position and play solid defense everywhere.
Dubón made starts at every position except pitcher and catcher in 2025 which is a true testament to his athletic ability and defensive prowess.
We know Dubón was not the biggest fan of Gabe Kapler which probably gained him some popularity amongst Giants fans who were not all that fond of the former manager themselves.
While he would not have been a perfect fit on the 2026 Giants, it still would have been nice to have a glove-first utility man especially since the team struggles so much defensively. Dubón could have toggled between second base and right field for the Giants, perhaps not offering much with the bat but providing the Gold Glove defense he is now known for.
Had the Giants swung a trade for Dubón, their next move should have been to bring back Pomeranz as a little wink to former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi who orchestrated the Pomeranz-for-Dubón trade as he sits in the bowels of Dodger Stadium combing the waiver wire.
Alas, a reunion was not in the cards for the Giants but maybe they will see Dubón when they square off against the Braves in 2026.
