Report: Giants discussing moving Joey Bart before trade deadline

Aug 1, 2023, 1:06 PM | Updated: 1:18 pm

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Catcher Joey Bart #21 of the San Francisco Giants throws ...

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

As we move closer to Major League Baseball’s 3:00 PM PST trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants are reportedly gauging the possibility of trading away a former top prospect.

According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Giants catcher Joey Bart has been mentioned in trade talks.

Bart, a 26-year-old catcher that was San Francisco’s top prospect from 2018-2020, could be on the move following a recent demotion to AAA Sacramento.

Joey Bart has been mentioned in the Giants trade talks.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 Draft could be moved in the next 2 hours. @MLBNetwork @MLBPipeline

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 1, 2023

With the emergence of impressive rookie catcher Patrick Bailey, the writing has been on the wall for Bart, who was sent down to AAA on June 10th.

Over 158 career at-bats at the MLB level, Bart holds a .223 batting average with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. Strikeouts have plagued Bart’s production, as the backstop strikes out a whopping 35.8 percent of the time he digs into the box.

Bailey has taken the Giants’ starting catcher role and ran with it, batting .258 with five home runs and 31 RBI over 55 games while playing excellent defense behind the dish.

Now that San Francisco has found consistent production out of the catcher spot in Bailey, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Giants move on from Bart. Blake Sabol has split time in the outfield and as Bailey’s backup catcher, meaning Bart is currently third on San Francisco’s catching depth chart.

Multiple reports indicate that MLB teams are seeking catching help on the trade market, meaning that teams could be willing to take a flier on Bart.

Bart is hitting .230 with three home runs and 17 RBI over 35 appearances with the AAA affiliate Sacramento River Cats.