Bleacher Report MLB insider Zachary Rymer made a lot of headlines on Tuesday July 22, 2025 when he predicted that the San Francisco Giants would land Adley Rutschman at the trade deadline.
But that’s all the trade idea really was – a good headline grabber.
Rymer admitted that this trade is a long shot trade for the Baltimore Orioles to make, given that Rutschman was one of the best catchers in baseball in 2023 and 2024.
But he said if the Orioles, who are having a down season in last place in the AL East, somehow decided that one bad year was enough to trade Rutschman, the Giants should be all over it.
“Posey should know he’s a high-upside solution for a catcher spot that has produced a league-low .555 OPS,” Rymer wrote.
Except, this isn’t a good move for the Giants either. It would cost them too much for not enough of an upgrade in return.
The Giants Need To Keep Their Faith In Patrick Bailey
Patrick Bailey, the current starting catcher for the Giants, has had a mostly disastrous year as a hitter.
For much of the season, he was hitting in the .100s and his power hitting had completely disappeared.
Couple that with even worse hitting lines from backup catchers Sam Huff and Andrew Knizner and the Giants have had a clear lineup weakness at the catcher position. For most of the season.
But Bailey has raised his batting average to .208 in recent weeks, including a .333 average in his last 10 games. He even delivered one of the most iconic hits in Giants history, a walk-off, three-run inside the park home run on July 9, 2025 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
And apart from Bailey’s hitting, he’s arguably the best defensive catcher in baseball. He won a Gold Glove award just last season. Fans often argue that he’ll become less valuable if the MLB moves to an automated balls and strikes system, but Bailey is a great pitch blocker and elite at catching runners stealing as well.
But above all, so much of a pitcher and catchers’ ability to work together is about chemistry and trust. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey knows this from his playing days. Keeping Bailey back there would be more beneficial than changing things up with Rutschman mid-season.
Catcher is a position where you can forgive subpar offense for good defense and game management anyway.
Who Could the Giants Target Instead?
It’s not entirely out of the question that the Giants could make a move at the catcher position, but if they do, it will certainly be a minor move for an upgrade over Knizner to back up Bailey.
If the Giants aren’t satisfied with their lineup, Rafael Devers’s recent transition to first base does give them some lineup flexibility. They could move Heliot Ramos to DH and trade for a left fielder like Luis Robert or Taylor Ward.
They could also trade for a big bat regardless of position like Eugenio Suarez and slot him into the DH spot.
The Giants’ biggest need, however, is an innings-eating starting pitcher like Mitch Keller or Merrill Kelly.
What do you think, Giants fans? Do you believe in Patrick Bailey? What moves do you think the Giants should make at the deadline?
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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