Giants make trade decision on pair of outfielders ahead of deadline

The San Francisco Giants are going to be selling some players at this year's trade deadline, and there are plenty of fascinating options for clubs to consider.

While Logan Webb and youngsters like Bryce Eldridge are obviously off the table, players such as Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray, among others, are readily available for trade.

But, when it comes to sought-after outfielders Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos, who have been in trade rumors this summer, what's the latest on their status? According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Giants have made different decisions on these two players.

Giants' trade plan with Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee revealed

"The Giants plan to keep outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and trade Heliot Ramos," Nightengale reported ahead of the deadline.

This is a very significant report from Nightengale, as the Giants are now expected to make different decisions on the pair of sought-after outfield trade targets.

Lee and Ramos are two players who have been brought up in many trade rumors in the last month or so. And now, they've seemingly made decisions on what to do with both.

For starters, keeping Lee makes some sense. He is 27 years old, and under club control through the 2029 season on his six-year, $113 million deal. He has a player opt-out, which would likely complicate a trade, so it's better to just keep him for now.

Besides, Lee has a .302 batting average this season with six home runs and 1.4 bWAR. He might not be the most valuable player, but he's a fan favorite who's someone worth keeping around despite a sell-off this season.

However, the Giants' decision to trade away Ramos, which obviously hasn't happened yet, and might not despite this report from Nightengale, is very fascinating.

MORE: Giants willing to trade Heliot Ramos in big news for many MLB clubs

The All-Star outfielder is 26 years old and under control through the 2029 season. The Giants, if they trade Ramos, could land a massive haul for him this summer.

Right-handed hitting outfielders are hard to come by this year, and plenty of teams are seeking out such players this season. Ramos might be the best of the bunch, both in terms of years of control, financial commitment, and talent level.

This season, Ramos has a .267 batting average with nine home runs and 0.9 bWAR in 71 games played after missing a decent chunk of the season. His .739 OPS is right in line with his .738 OPS career average.

The Giants' decision with these two outfielders is very fascinating. While nothing is official yet, Nightengale's report makes it clear the Giants plan to trade Ramos this summer, while holding onto Lee through the August 3 trade deadline.

More MLB news:

• Yankees are ‘leading candidate’ to trade for Twins’ Ryan Jeffers
• Red Sox ‘would love’ to trade for Angels’ Zach Neto or Astros’ Jeremy Pena
• Padres likely not to trade Mason Miller amid latest update
• Tigers expected to trade Tarik Skubal but still try to contend without him
• Mets ‘desperate’ to trade Luis Robert Jr. after trade failure