MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: 5 trades Yankees should make

3. Trade for Johnny Cueto or Jeff Samardzija

The 2016 season has been a disaster for the San Francisco Giants, who entered the week with the second worst record in baseball, and sit 29.5 games out of first place in the NL West. After winning the NL Wild Card Game last season, it’s been a shocking fall.

One of the key contributors to last season’s success, when he was 18-5 with a 2.79 ERA and finished sixth in the Cy Young voting, Johnny Cueto has slumped to 6-7 with a 4.59 ERA in 19 starts this year. Though the Giants aren’t ready to write off the 31-year-old Cueto yet, there’s a wrinkle to the situation given the contract he signed as a free agent prior to the 2016 season, which includes an opt-out clause that would make him a free agent this winter if triggered.

With the team out of contention, the thought of trading Cueto for prospects or major league contributors, having him opt out of his deal and re-sign with San Francisco is intriguing. But is it likely? The opt-out also a major obstacle in the effort to maximize the return for Cueto, should the Giants be willing to trade him, as are the blisters on Cueto’s pitching hand that sent him to the DL this month.

The Giants would probably rather unload Cueto’s teammate, Jeff Samardzija. Though one reason we haven’t heard much buzz around him in trade circles is Samardzija’s contract, which runs through 2020 (his age 35 season) and pays him $19.8 million per year. However, Samardzija has been much better this season than he’s given credit for.

The 32-year old right-hander has been worth 2.3 fWAR this year, nearly matching his 2.6 fWAR total from both 2015 and 2016. Despite an ugly 4.86 ERA, Samarzija has a career high 26.4 percent strikeout rate and a career best 2.7 percent walk rate this season – a combination that would be helpful to a team like the Astros looking for consistency in the starting rotation.