San Francisco Giants: Three Possible Trade Candidates
By Paul Ashley
The Cincinnati Reds made a very underrated move during the 2018 offseason. They signed relief pitched Jared Hughes to a two-year contract with a team option for a third year. Hughes could now help the Giants in their quest for the postseason.
Despite six productive seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jared Hughes was released prior to the 2017 season. The Milwaukee Brewers picked him up and Hughes had a very productive season.
In 2017, he pitched 59.2 innings with a 3.02 ERA, a 3.93 FIP, and a 1.223 WHIP. This led the Reds to sign him as a free agent. He has been nothing short of phenomenal for Cincinnati this season.
Through 52.0 innings pitched, he holds a 1.56 ERA, a 3.04 FIP, and a 1.096 WHIP. He also holds a 2.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is the highest of his career.
Hughes also keeps the ball in the ballpark. Over the course of his career, he has averaged a 0.62 home runs allowed per nine innings. This season he’s even lower at 0.35.
The San Francisco Giants would not have to get overly creative in order to acquire Hughes. He would only be owed the prorated amount of his $2.125 million contract this season, so the Giants would not have to get rid of Hunter Pence or Sam Dyson to acquire him.
The Giants could instead look to move a player such as Gregor Blanco or Derek Holland to make enough room for the right-handed reliever
Moving a player or two to clear enough payroll would be worth it to acquire Hughes as he holds an incredible 89.0% left-on-base percentage. He would a very effective reliever that would help both now and in the future.