Giants top-10 trade chips revealed with interesting Jung Hoo Lee problem

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Giants top-10 trade chips revealed with interesting Jung Hoo Lee problem originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Francisco Giants are looking more and more likely to be trade deadline sellers as the season moves along. The rumor mill has been rampant lately, indicating Buster Posey is open to selling some of the team's players.

While the question of whether the Giants will be buyers or sellers appears to be answered, the new question is about who could be on the move. Rental options are clear trade chips this season, but there are a lot of other interesting names worth mentioning.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer revealed the Giants' top-10 trade chips, all of which make sense as options to be moved. But there is one interesting problem, and it revolves around $113 million outfielder Jung Hoo Lee.

Giants' top-10 trade chips revealed, with Jung Hoo Lee question​

"Their Best Trade Chips: 1B/DH Rafael Devers, SS Willy Adames, 3B Matt Chapman, RF Jung Hoo Lee, 2B Luis Arraez, LHP Robbie Ray," Rymer writes. "... And out of these names, Lee is the only one who isn't either A) an albatross or B) a free-agent-to-be."

These six top trade assets for the Giants feature some very likely names to be brought up in trade talks this season.

Arraez and Ray are free agents after the season, and the trio of Devers, Adames, and Chapman are expensive veterans the Giants might want to shed the contracts of.

But when it comes to Lee, he's a lot more of an interesting trade problem for the Giants. He's 27 years old, under contract through the 2029 season on his $113 million deal, and is having a great season so far.

He has a .328 batting average and has an .812 OPS, both of which are significantly better than the production he's had in his Major League career so far.

MORE: Cubs’ cost to trade for Tarik Skubal from Tigers revealed by ex-MLB GM

The left-handed hitting outfielder who is under club control through 2029 surely would garner some trade interest, but since he's not too expensive, and under contract for a while, and finally breaking out, it might make sense to keep him for a while.

Even if they keep him, those five other top trade candidates, and other trade assets in Tyler Mahle, Adrian Houser, Caleb Kilian, and JT Brubaker could make for a very strong haul at the deadline without dealing Lee.

However, if Posey truly wants to reset this roster and shake things up, trading Lee in the middle of a breakout season could fetch a very strong return.

This is an interesting problem for the Giants, as the potential for a Lee trade is something to monitor. While the decisions on Devers, Chapman, and Adames will be of note, seeing what happens to Lee might be the most interesting decision of the trade deadline.

More MLB news:​

• 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals
• Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success
• Tarik Skubal being traded by Tigers would help him in free agency
• Yankees’ Ryan McMahon problem has a $25 million release solution
• Phillies extending Cristopher Sanchez to his $107 million deal was genius

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