On June 15, last season, the San Francisco Giants pulled off an incredibly early trade of significance, acquiring third baseman Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox. Normally, you just don’t see deals of that magnitude before July, and even then, they tend to be much closer to the end-of-month trade deadline. But Devers was in a unique position, being squeezed out of Boston, and that seemed to be an acceptable enough explanation.
Well, here we are, one year later, and they just pulled off another big early-season trade, this time on MAY 9! But unlike their big addition last summer, this deal is of the “selling” variety, as their season has not gone well.
The Guardians were allowed to trade the No. 29 choice because it is a competitive-balance pick, which has been movable since its inception. The Giants will get an additional $3.27 million in slot value, bringing their total pool to $17.35 million, the fourth highest in the draft.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 9, 2026You’re probably familiar with Patrick Bailey, who’s been one of the better defensive catchers in the league since his 2023 debut, but here’s a brief history, so if you’re not familiar, you can still appreciate the significance of this deal.
Bailey, 26, was the Giants’ first-round pick back in 2020 and finished 7th in Rookie of the Year voting just three years later (77 wRC+, 2.7 WAR as a 24-year-old). He went on to win back-to-back Gold Glove awards behind the plate in 2024 and 2025, with the third most WAR among all catchers during that time. Again, he doesn’t hit much, and that’s especially true this season, so far, but he’s the elite of the elite among defensive catchers in baseball.
Patrick Bailey Defensive Ranks (2023-Today):
55 Defensive Runs Saved (1st) 63.7 Framing Runs (1st) 102.9 Def Rating (1st) 11 Stolen Bases Runs Above Average (t-2nd)And I didn’t include it, but his Defensive Runs saved, Framing Runs, and overall Def rating are basically all close to double the second-best catcher on each leaderboard. He’s simply in a league of his own, defensively.
So, yes, bad slash line or not, this is a highly valuable catcher. He’s also under control for three more seasons after this one via arbitration, so he’s cheap, too. Kind of a platonic ideal catching target for a team like the Guardians, who paid handsomely to get him: 29th overall pick (tradable because it’s a competitive balance pick) and a 23-year-old lefty with a 1.59 ERA at Double-A this season (his first time at that level).
But while this trade is interesting and cool and all that, I have a more pressing question: Are the Giants actually ready to sell? It sure seems like it, as their return was clearly about pivoting toward the future. And why not? At 15-23 with a -39 run differential, in the same decision as the Padres and Dodgers, their season is off to a dreadful start. Really, it’s over.
And while most modern front offices wouldn’t even consider starting their sell-off now, it is worth remembering that they have a very unconventional President of Baseball Operations in Buster Posey – a great player, no doubt, but a guy who just finished playing baseball and … immediately took over one of the largest franchises in MLB. Posey already zagged significantly when he tapped Tony Vitello to be his manager straight out of college (which NEVER EVER happens in MLB). So maybe he’s just content in doing things his own way.
I hope so. Because then Jed Hoyer could get him on the phone ASAP.
In case you’ve lived in blissful ignorance this season, allow me to remind you of some hard facts: The Cubs, for all of their success, are hurting badly on the starting pitching front.
Cade Horton is done for all of this year and much of next season Justin Steele’s rehab hit a setback when he suffered a flexor strain – he won’t be back until after the All-Star break, at the earliest Matthew Boyd, who already spent time on the IL, is back on the shelf following meniscus surgery And to a lesser extent, injuries to Jordan Wicks, Jaxon Wiggins, and Kyle Wright have put the Cubs’ extreme pitching depth in jeopardyAnd that’s all ignoring the fact that Edward Cabrera, for all of his consistency this season, came into this year as an obvious injury risk.
Bottom line, the Cubs could use a starter, and the Giants actually have a couple that could make a great deal of sense.
The two most popular candidates, of course, will be Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.
Could Cubs Trade for a Giants Starting Pitcher?
Logan Webb
Logan Webb, 29, is not off to a great start this season in terms of results, but I don’t know why anyone would bet against him. He’s been one of the premier pitchers in baseball since 2021 and he’s still on the right side of 30 with strong peripherals and no signs of declining velocity.
Here are just some of his rankings among all qualified pitchers from 2021-2025:
158 starts (t-2nd) 967.1 IP (1st by 40+ innings) 3.19 ERA (8th)* 4.29 K/BB (12th)* 57.8 GB% (2nd)* 23.2 WAR (2nd)*min 500 IP
He’s also a Gold Glover, a two-time All-Star, and has received Cy Young and even MVP votes in each of the last four seasons.
In terms of his fit on the Cubs, his elite groundball rate makes a whooooole lot of sense in front of this elite defense. But his availability (32+ starts in each of the last four years) and multiple years of remaining control are just as valuable … especially with Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon hitting free agency at the end of the year (plus, again, Cade Horton’s lengthy expected absence).
If he were available, the Cubs would probably be willing to pay quite a bit to get him. Now, I should note that he has a 5.06 ERA through eight starts this season, but that comes with a 3.59 FIP (3.42 xFIP). And most of the damage came in just two starts (his first and last).
He was his usual self in the six starts in between (3.46 ERA with a 60.5% groundball rate).
I have exactly ZERO concerns that he’d be anything other than awesome with this team.
However, you do have to wonder if the Giants would prefer to hold onto him AT LEAST long enough for the stats to catch up, let alone just beyond this season anyway. But I also think he’s been good enough for long enough that any interested front office would know the price isn’t on discount. If you want him, prepare to pay big.
He’s about as perfect an acquisition as the Cubs could reasonably be expected to find this summer. Impact, control, success, availability, he’s just got it all.
Robbie Ray
Robbie Ray, 34, is a different caliber of acquisition, but a good target nonetheless. Ray is older (34) and a rental, but he made 32 starts with a 3.65 ERA over 182.1 IP last season. And he’s off to a good start, at least in terms of results, through eight games this year: 2.76 ERA.
May 1, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Robbie Ray (38) throws a pitch during the first inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn ImagesYou might be concerned that his fastball velocity took a little dip last season and that the barrel rate is up this year. But I could just as easily point out that he has the same velo this year as 2025 (when he was still very good) and that his average exit velocity and hard hit rate are both a LOT better, too.
Ray is also a two-time All-Star (2017, 2025) and a former Cy Young Award winner (2021).
He’s making $25M this year.
Logan Webb has three years and $70M remaining.
***
Ultimately, I don’t actually expect the Giants to move either guy right now, but both are absolutely in play as the season rolls on. And while the financial cost to acquire both is significant, the Cubs have said that money won’t be the roadblock for in-season additions — at least, not this year.
Plus, to be honest, the money isn’t exactly a bad thing. So long as the Cubs are willing to take on cash, the higher salaries could help reduce the player cost significantly. And that should be a HUGE preference for an organization that has already dealt some big pieces over the last few years.
And for what it’s worth, there is already plenty of smoke suggesting the Cubs are going to be active in the starting pitching market this summer, most recently from Ken Rosenthal.
If the Cubs continue to play well, @Ken_Rosenthal believes they'll be aggressive at the trade deadline. ? pic.twitter.com/fbwNvTMOJ1
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 8, 2026Bruce Levine also shared a sorta-kinda-oops rumor on the Cubs’ interest in rental starter Freddy Peralta, now with the Mets, who has overlapped with Cubs Manager Craig Counsell during their shared time in Milwaukee.
Whoever it winds up being, though, I very much expect the Cubs to add impact to this rotation before the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. It’d be nice if it were sooner than later, but sooner often comes at a higher cost. Just something to keep in mind.
Hence then, the article about could cubs trade for logan webb or robbie ray now that giants sell off has begun was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Could Cubs Trade for Logan Webb or Robbie Ray Now That Giants Sell-off Has Begun? )
Also on site :