Deadline deals

I remember someone asking Pedro Martinez the classic question “what is the secret to your success?” He said “I’m not afraid to fail.” I remember really liking that answer at the time. Buster Posey is not afraid to fail. He made a big splash—right away—with the Willy Adames signing. Then he traded away the team’s young hot shots for Rafael Devers well before the trading deadline. Blockbuster deals, both of them. Neither one of those moves, unfortunately, has helped the team. The Giants aren’t any better right now than they were last year. Or the year before. Or the year before.

Buster can see what the rest of us are seeing. This 2025 team is going nowhere fast. What does the Modern Executive do in Today’s Baseball Landscape at the Trading Deadline? Well, pivot to “sell” mode, obviously. It’s an ugly reminder of the ruthless economics of the game.

Our PoBO made a bunch of last-minute deals that clearly signal “throwing in the towel for this year.” The flip side of that is “stocking up for next year.” So, let’s look at the deals.

Tyler Rogers went first. The Mets parted with three players. 27-year old RH reliever José Buttó is in his fourth season and can take a bullpen spot immediately. 24-year old rookie RH Blade Tidwell was a 2022 2nd round draft pick from Tennessee. He’s been a starter in the minors. Carson Whisenhunt was taken in the same round. Lefty OF Drew Gilbert is also from Tennessee but is still in the minors. He’ll be 25 next month. Rogers is headed for free agency and at $5.25 M/yr there was a good chance he wasn’t going to be re-signed for 2026. I’m bummed as I’m a big fan of the quirky submariner. He’s been with the organization since he was drafted in 2013.

Camilo Doval went next. The Yankees parted with four players. Doval, like Rogers, originally signed with the Giants. He’s been in the system since 2015. He’s still arb-eligible and isn’t a free agent until 2028 and currently making $4.5M. All-Name Team candidates Trystan Vierling and Parks Harber head the list. RH Vierling, 25 in October, is a 2022 3rd-round pick from Gonazaga. He’s a starter and in the minors. Harber is a 1B/3B who played at Georgia and NC State. He’s 24 next month and in the minors. 17-year old lefty hurler Carlos De La Rosa is the biggest unknown of the bunch, and 23-year old Jesús Rodriguez (C/3B/1B) rounds out the quartet of FNGs. We all know Doval and have a love-hate relationship with the talented but mercurial righty. He can be electric and he can be maddening. He’ll be fun to watch if the Yankees are in the playoffs!

Finally, fan favorite Mike Yastrzemski was traded to the Royals. That one I could see coming. He’s also a free agent next year and was most likely not coming back, especially at $9.25 M/yr. The Giants get minor league reliever Yunior Marte. He’s a righty who turns 22 next month. (This in NOT the Yunior Marté who was on the Giants in 2022 and currently with the Phillies.) Yaz was a solid player, a good guy, and well-respected around the league. The connection to his famous grandfather was pretty cool, too.

Buster isn’t fooling around. He’s not afraid to pull the trigger and re-make the team. It hurts in the short-term, but what hurts worse is a lousy ballclub. Let’s hope we see improvement going forward.

–M.C.

p.s. Buster PLAYED with all three of the guys he traded! He caught both Doval (2021 debut) and Rogers (2019 debut). Yaz joined the team in 2019.