Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The San Francisco Giants face a tough roster decision ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline with multiple underperforming veterans.
- Three players in particular are drawing scrutiny for their roles and recent performance on a team stuck near the bottom of the National League.
- The front office must decide whether to cut ties now or hold out hope for a late-season turnaround with these players still under contract.
Despite MLB's eighth-highest payroll, the San Francisco Giants are once again stuck in the National League cellar. The path forward is bleak. Buster Posey has committed significant resources to overpaid, underperforming stars. It will be challenging for the Giants to cut salary, much less improve dramatically in the years to come. Their farm system isn't without its upside, but the Giants can't rely on a wave of incoming youth to lift up a veteran core that has rapidly depreciated in value.
The MLB trade deadline is less than a month away on Aug. 3, with the All-Star Break imminent next week. San Francisco needs to reshuffle the deck as thoroughly as possible. It's better to start sooner than later, even if more valuable trade chips — lookin' at you, Luis Arráez — will probably recoup max value next month, when teams are up against the deadline buzzer. These Giants shouldn't be on the roster in two weeks, if Posey and the front office can help it.
C Eric Haase
Eric Haase is out of minor league options and stuck in the backup catcher role, even with Daniel Susac on the IL (and Patrick Bailey shipped out to Cleveland earlier this season). The 33-year-old has four home runs in 72 at-bats, but that feels like a misleading figure. Haase has struggled to generate consistent, hard contact, with a .616 OPS and 69 wRC+ — not to mention an inflated 31.7 percent strikeout rate.
It wouldn't hurt so much if he were a savant behind the plate, but Haase's defensive metrics are equally poor. He grades negatively in blocking and neutral in framing.
The Giants aren't stocked with a ton of proven offensive weapons at the catcher position, but 24-year-old Drew Cavanaugh merits further investment. San Francisco also has 24-year-old Jesus Rodriguez waiting in the wings in Triple-A. He struggled in his brief MLB cameo earlier this season, but he has a .777 OPS at Triple-A and is worth another look. Haase has done nothing to prove that he should take up a roster spot.
INF Christian Koss
Christian Koss did not fair too poorly as a rookie last season, with a .676 OPS and 94 OPS+, but he's relegated mostly to pinch-running and specialty duties right now. He has a very murky path to regular reps, at best. In 20 plate appearances, he's 2-for-19 with a .308 OPS. He has only struck out twice, but last season is evidence that he will suffer more swing-and-miss if or when his usage spikes.
The 28-year-old has options left and he can move all over the infield, which is helpful when Matt Chapman hits the IL, for example. But he's just not providing anything of significant value on the field. He took the long road to MLB and deserves credit for sticking with it, but he's no longer in the prospect bucket. It's hard to envision much untapped potential.
The Giants can get something more than speed and functional defense from that roster spot.
RHP Ryan Walker
Ryan Walker peaked in 2024, when he moved full-time to the bullpen and posted a 1.91 ERA across 80.0 innings. The Giants let him close games regularly in 2025 and Walker picked up 17 saves, but his 4.11 ERA was dramatically inflated. Now in 2026, he's up to a 6.66 ERA and 1.73 WHIP, averaging a career-worst 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings (compared to 11.1 when he broke out two years ago).
The 30-year-old still has recent high-leverage equity, but the Giants can't even rely on him in the middle innings right now. He has minor league options left, so a demotion to Triple-A Sacramento is technically in the cards. The Giants can also look to flip him to a contender looking for cheap bullpen help. Still in the arbitration phase, Walker is under club control through the 2029 season.
San Francisco could take stock of the situation and decide not to sell low. Maybe there's something Walker can tweak in the coming months (or years) to get back to prime form. As things sit, however, it's hard not to feel like the Giants should move on and clear space for younger, more spry bullpen arms who aren't in sharp decline. He still gets a lot of groundball contact, but opponent are hitting .339 against Walker's sinker this season.
RHP Adrian Houser
Adrian Houser inked a two-year, $22 million contract with San Francisco on the heels of his best MLB season to date. He put up a 2.10 ERA across 11 starts with the White Sox last season, but was far less dependable in 10 starts with Tampa Bay (4.79). Unfortunately, the latter appears more true to life. Houser has a 5.33 ERA through 17 appearances (14 starts) for the Giants. He has lost his spot in the rotation, now relegated to long relief and swingman or piggyback duty.
The 33-year-old's $11 million guaranteed contract for next season is a complicating factor, as it will severely limit what the Giants can expect on the trade front. There's a nonzero chance San Francisco is asked to eat some of that money in order to offload him. It's probably worth it, though. The Giants aren't brimming with Triple-A arms itching for a promotion, but Trent Harris, Blake Tidwell and even Carson Whisenhunt are all names worth investigating.
Whether he is outright cut or sent to another team in a straight salary dump, Houser is a sunk cost and he's doing little to help San Francisco week over week. It was a bad signing. One of too many bad signings Posey has made since taking over as president of baseball operations, unfortunately.
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