The San Francisco Giants offloaded Tyler Mahle’s salary for pitching prospect Anthony Molina, but it drew a harsh rating from Jim Bowden.
The Atlanta Braves are set to take on the remainder of Tyler Mahle's salary after the San Francisco Giants traded him late on Sunday, Aug. 2.
The trade deadline is officially here, and the Giants' first move is one that some were a fan of, but others were not.
In return, the Giants got right-handed pitcher Anthony Molina. Molina has made just three appearances in the big leagues this year, but he has a relatively strong 3.78 ERA at Triple-A here in 2026.
It was a straight-up one-for-one swap, but The Athletic's Jim Bowden wasn't a fan of this trade for the Giants. Ultimately, he gave them a D+ for this transaction.
Why did Bowden give Giants a D+?
He didn't exactly explain why this is the grade he gave San Francisco, but it seems rather harsh for a team that's doing whatever they can to move on from these massive contracts.
Mahle came into the 2026 season on a one-year, $10 million contract. He'll now be pitching on his fourth team in the last five seasons, so that goes to show just how much the 31-year-old has bounced around.
In the midst of a 3-9 season with a 5.13 ERA, it makes complete sense that the Giants would want to move on from him. Things simply weren't working out in San Francisco, so the Giants got the value out of him they could, and that was a huge win.
For reference, Bowden gave the Braves a C for the trade. It was far from a trade that set the world on fire, but it helped Atlanta gain another starting pitcher, one that's going to cost them a bit, but he's a true rental and will be off the books once this season comes to an end.
Giants should be praised for getting Molina
Sure, Molina had a 5.40 ERA during his three appearances in the majors, but he's still only 24-years-old and had to come from a struggling Colorado Rockies organization.
From 2024-25, he appeared in 52 games for the Rockies and made two starts. He's 2-2 in his 55 games played with a career 6.89 ERA. Obviously, that's not ideal. Getting him out of elevation was step one, and step two is letting him continue to develop at Triple-A.
The Venezuelan native is far more than most thought the Giants would be able to get for Mahle. It's just a matter of them helping him get his career back on track after a pair of negative WAR seasons in Colorado.
