Arizona Diamondbacks v San Francisco Giants | Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/GettyImages
The SF Giants need more bats on offense and they have a plethora of starting pitching. That is why it would make a lot of sense for the Giants to trade away veteran pitcher Justin Verlander in exchange for some support on offense.
Verlander is currently on the IL with a pectoral injury. He felt some pain after his most recent outing on May 18th and the hope was that he would be fine, but the 42-year-old needed some extra time to recover.
SF Giants should strongly consider trading Justin Verlander
After he went on the IL, the plan was that he would miss two starts while Kyle Harrison took his place in the rotation. However, Harrison has now made four straight stars in Verlander’s stead as his return was delayed with the team being cautious. The veteran has continued to throw simulated games but there is no official word on when he could return.
No matter what, it may be wise for the Giants to trade Verlander ahead of the July 31st trade deadline. Their rotation has continued to be strong even with Verlander on the shelf. The Giants have gotten good performances from young pitchers like Harrison, Hayden Birdsong, and Landen Roupp.
While Verlander certainly brings a ton of experience with him, it is questionable whether he would really be an upgrade over any of those three starters in the rotation. He has a 4.33 ERA in 10 starts and 52 innings pitched on the year which is fine, but certainly not spectacular.
The future Hall of Famer is on a one-year contract with San Francisco which means he is going to be a free agent this offseason. It seems doubtful that the Giants will bring him back next year with all of the exciting young starting pitchers they have, so why not get something for him while they still can?
The haul for Verlander will not be a huge one. He is not the pitcher he once was, but he could still be a key part of a rotation for a contending team especially if they have an injury or two to their starting staff.
Maybe Buster Posey and Zack Minasian can work some magic and land the next Cody Ross or Marco Scutaro in a trade to address some of the holes in their lineup.
Verlander would be a good experienced veteran to have on the team if San Francisco does make the playoffs, but it is time for the Giants to put their faith in their young arms and trade Verlander to try and make something happen on offense.
