The San Francisco Giants are a team to watch heading into the 2022 MLB trade deadline in August. Last season, the Giants made a huge splash when they traded for Kris Bryant. Will the Giants make a loud noise again this time around? With that said, here are three moves the Giants must make before August 2's MLB trade deadline.

Watch MLB Games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)

3 moves Giants must make ahead of 2022 MLB trade deadline

Luis Castillo

For the most part of the past decade, the Giants have been known for pitching depth, especially in the years when they won the World Series. This 2022 MLB season, San Francisco is looking like a postseason contender again, but their pitching staff will have to improve. It doesn't help the Giants that they are in one of the toughest divisions not only in the National League but in the majors altogether, with the Los Angeles Dodgers pulling away and the San Diego Padres second. The Arizona Diamondbacks are closing in on the Giants for the third spot, putting San Francisco's position in the NL wild-card race in much more peril.

Castillo has also been linked to the Giants for some time now, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post, during an episode of The Show Podcast, saying that he's become a target of San Francisco (h/t Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report).

“I'm hearing that the Giants are looking at the Reds' starters, Castillo and Mahle,” Jon Heyman of the New York Post said on The Show podcast (25:15 mark). “I do think there is a possibility there. The Mets have scouted at least Mahle as well. We talked about the lack of depth of starting pitching with all of these teams—there's going to be a lot of teams looking at them. But to me, the Giants is a team to keep an eye on for Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle.”

Adding an arm like Luis Castillo could give San Francisco a boost. Not that the Giants have looked bad on the mound this season, but rotation depth is something they should address ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Logan Wood and Carlos Rodon have both been solid to date this season, but Alex Wood and Alex Cobb are sporting 4.83 and 4.59 ERAs, respectively.

Wood's and Cobb's FIPs are significantly lower and both have BABIPs over .330, which bode well for them, but the Giants don't have much time to wait for them to progress. With Castillo, the Giants will have a ready-starter who is currently brandishing just a 3-4 record in 11 starts with the Cincinnati Reds this season along with a 3.09 ERA and 152 ERA+.

Article Continues Below
More Giants News
Jun 11, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) celebrates after hitting a three run home run during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Teoscar Hernandez recaptures 2024 form with 2nd-straight home run gameMike Gianakos ·
San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) celebrates after hitting a walk off home run against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Oracle Park.
Crucial Matt Chapman injury update surfaces before Giants-Dodgers gameAlex House ·
Colorado Rockies first baseman Orlando Arcia (11) celebrates his two run walk off single in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants.
Giants’ 1st place hopes dealt harsh Rockies realityJosh Davis ·
Arizona Diamondbacks first base Josh Naylor (22) hits a walk off grand slam home run against the Seattle Mariners in the eleventh inning at Chase Field.
MLB rumors: Giants labeled good fit for Diamondbacks starMalik Brown ·
San Francisco Giants first baseman Dominic Smith (7), center fielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) and third baseman Casey Schmitt (10) celebrate defeating the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Giants latest comeback sets mark seen only twiceChristopher Hennessy ·
San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (14) celebrates his RBI double against the San Diego Padres in the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Porter Posey
Giants place Patrick Bailey on IL with neck injuryZachary Howell ·

Joey Gallo

Gallo is not winning the hearts of New York Yankees fans this season. He's been an adventure whenever he's making a plate appearance. But the proverbial change of scenery could be just what he needs to finally see his numbers go up again. Gallo's ability to hit bombs remains a key trait of his, but his awful 39.7% strikeout rate is a screaming warning sign.

But again, switching teams could be the cure for Gallo, who was a two-time All-Star during his time with the Texas Rangers. In his last season with Texas, Gallo posted 25 home runs and a 139 OPS+ in 95 games back in the 2021 MLB season before he got shipped to the Yankees with Joely Rodriguez for Glenn Otto, Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith, and Trevor Hauver. The Giants also make this trade mostly because of Gallo's value which has been tanking over the past two seasons. He is also set to become a free agent by the end of the season, so it shouldn't cost the Giants an arm to test the waters on someone who could be a major boost for their offense the rest of the way.

Willson Contreras

Finding the next Buster Posey is obviously not an easy endeavor for the Giants. They have Joey Bart, but he's not been making much of an impact on the Giants' offense this season, which is also why he got sent to the minors.

Bart could be back soon with Curt Casali hitting the 10-day injured list, though, San Francisco could still use a more reliable bat in that position. They also still have Austin Wynns, who was acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies early last June.  All that being said, it's hard to feel confident in the Giants' catcher room at the moment.

Willson Contreras can diffuse the stress coming from that group, and he could be the big fish the Giants could net ahead of the deadline.  The Chicago Cubs are not going to make the postseason and Contreras is down to the final year of his contract, so it makes a lot of sense for him to get plenty of attention from catcher-needy teams like San Francisco. Contreras is slashing .274/.392/.498 with 13 homers this season.