Giants get good news on trade deadline market for $113 million star

Under two weeks to go until the 2026 MLB trade deadline on August 3, and the San Francisco Giants are very obvious sellers.

Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray are clearly going to be on the block, with both likely to be dealt. But the Giants also want to trade away their expensive veterans, making over $100 million, but that's not going to be easy.

That is, except for one $113 million outfielder, Jung Hoo Lee, who, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan, should have a strong market at the MLB trade deadline.

Jung Hoo Lee should have a strong enough trade market for Giants

"While the Giants' desire to dump their high-profile players with high-priced contracts will run into plenty of resistance, they should be able to cobble together a market if they really are interested in moving Lee," Passan and McDaniel write.

When it comes to Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames, the Giants are going to be hard-pressed to find a team willing to trade for their massive contracts.

However, this ESPN duo seemingly is indicating that Lee has a real chance of being traded, as his market has a real chance to develop into a normal one despite his $113 million deal.

He's under club control through the 2029 season at $21 million per-year, and while his 0.8 bWAR this season isn't great, his .303 batting average and 115 OPS+ should be intriguing to clubs at the deadline.

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What's most interesting for the Giants is that not only do Passan and McDaniel believe a market could develop, but that "Lee would fetch a strong return if the Giants indeed moved him."

Despite his $113 million contract likely being a barrier to a trade, Passan and McDaniel believe that a deal of the left-handed-hitting outfielder has a realistic chance of happening.

They gave the "Chance of being traded: 40%" to Lee this summer, which, while not 50% or greater, is still fairly high considering his $113 million contract and opt-out that could pose a problem in any potential trade.

The Giants might have a pathway to trading Lee this summer, with plenty of teams interested in outfield help. The Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and many others could be interested, and apparently, his $113M deal isn't a real deterrent to a trade.

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