The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants almost never consider the possibility of making a trade with one another, and that is not uncommon for two rival teams. It has been more than 10 years since the last time the two clubs swapped players, but that could change this season.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Giants and Dodgers have not ruled out the possibility of working together on a trade involving relief pitcher Will Smith.
#Dodgers, #SFGiants aren’t ruling out the prospect of making a Will Smith trade, source says. The rivals haven’t paired up on a deal since @Sweendog9 to L.A. for Travis Denker in 2007. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 25, 2019
The last time the two clubs came together for a trade was 2007. To give you more perspective of how infrequently they deal with one another, Morosi notes that one of the four most recent trades between the two teams involved Jackie Robinson.
The @Dodgers and @SFGiants have traded with one another so infrequently that the fourth most recent deal involved Jackie Robinson going to the New York Giants in 1956 — which was later voided. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 25, 2019
Why the change? Possibly because Farhan Zaidi, who is now leading the Giants, spent the previous five seasons working for the Dodgers and likely has a good relationship with their front office. He is also probably open to helping his team in any way possible.
The Giants are in last place in the NL West, while the Dodgers lead the division with an MLB-best 54 wins and are looking for bullpen help. Smith, 29, is having the best season of his major league career with a 2.01 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. San Francisco has just 33 wins, and the left-hander has 20 saves in 20 opportunities.
Smith should generate plenty of interest on the trade market, so perhaps the Giants will end up favoring another suitor over their cross-state rival. Smith is one of our 10 players to watch leading up to the trade deadline.
