Heliot Ramos high-fives teammates after the Giants defeated the Brewers at Oracle Park last month. He was traded to the Yankees on Monday.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
ARLINGTON, Texas — An hour and 13 minutes before the MLB trade deadline Monday, San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos wandered through the clubhouse and asked a clump of reporters, “Why are you all smiling?”
Because you’re still here came the response, and Ramos looked at the large digital wall clock.
“There’s still time left,” he said.
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About 20 minutes later, the Yankees, who had been scouting Ramos for more than two weeks, were reported as being about to land the right-handed-hitting outfielder in a trade, and Ramos then walked back past reporters saying, “I just found out right now.”
“My heart was beating hard when I saw it in the TV,” he said. “But I feel like I’m in a good spot. If they trade it for me, it’s because they want me, obviously So I’m very proud. I mean, it’s the Yankees.”
Ramos was an All-Star two years ago and has been among the Giants’ more regular contributors this season, batting .264/.304/.424 with nine homers. But now that he’s headed to New York, he sounded excited about a future in pinstripes.
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“That’s an organization that when you were a kid and you’re Puerto Rican, everybody knows about it,” Ramos said. “Everybody wants it. So I’m happy for this new chapter. Obviously, I love the Giants. They’re all I know. The staff is all I know. I’m very blessed that they gave me the opportunity that they gave me signing me in the first round, gave me the chance to be a big leaguer, gave me the chance to be who I am today.”
Ramos said he’s excited to talk to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, plus there’s that short porch in right field, which appeals to a player such as Ramos with opposite-field power.
Then there’s that home uniform. “Very, very classic,” he said. “It’s going to look nice, man.”
Ramos was the Giants’ longest tenured position player, a home-grown prospect who bloomed into an everyday player in 2024. He’s also beloved in the clubhouse and last year won the Bill Rigney Award, presented by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for his cooperation with the media.
How do you feel about the Giants’ trade deadline moves?
Adam
Fort Collins, CO
08/04/26
0
It’s sad. I understand it, but I don’t like it. Perhaps we got some great prospects, but doesn’t seem like any of them are ready to make a difference in less than 2 or 3 years. So what happens in the meantime?
I still maintain that, despite what Ann Killion continues to profess that we’re a horrible team, that we really weren’t that far off. With a good setup guy and a closer, that alone would’ve been a 15 game turnaround. The offense was coming around for the last months. We could’ve extended Arraez, perhaps gotten creative with Chapman for a closer or setup guy, and have been in a better place. But that would’ve required making moves earlier than last second deadline stuff. Now, instead of the depressing night in night out last second losses, we’re looking at a couple of years of simply not having a whole lot to offer. The big problem is Adames. But if it is his back (in which case they should have IL’d him months ago and gotten him right), perhaps next year he’ll be better. ???
Ramon
San Francisco, CA
08/04/26
0
Why does it make sense to trade away your best players? It doesn’t.
The Dodgers sign star after star and pay them based on current market standards. Not the Giants.
The Giants ownership group have turned into cheapskates in spite of multimillion dollar real estate investment.
The Giants current approach screams “BASEBALL IS A BUSINESS !
The fans pay the bills and watch a substandard product. How long will that honeymoon last?
Tony
San Francisco, CA
08/04/26
0
Remember when the Giants sold out every game in what is now Oracle Park? For the rest of this season, the TV cameras are going to pick up a lot of empty seats, and the sales of beer will take a sharp drop. Looking at the new crowd, I’m reminded of what Butch and Sundance said as they were chased through South America, “Who ARE these guys?” I wouldn’t be surprised to see the return of the $8 seats before long.
Rick
Palo Alto, CA
08/03/26
0
The moves are absolutely disastrous. They’re getting rid of their best players and keeping their terrible free agent signings, Chapman, Adames and Devers. It’s not they’re necessarily bad players, but they’re ridiculously overpaid and no one else wants to take on their contracts. The Idea of sending Robbie Ray to the Padres, a team in their own division, defies belief. I like Buster Poesy as a person and I respect him as part of the ownership group, but I don’t know how the team is going get out of the hole it’s digging.
Ramos was about to enter his arbitration-eligible seasons, so he was due to become more expensive. But the team has several young outfielders to evaluate, including Jonah Cox and Grant McCray, and because Ramos was still years removed from free agency, he brought back a pair of strong prospects from the Yankees’ organization.
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Pitcher Henry Lalane is in the deal. The left-hander stands 6-foot-7 and was ranked as the Yankees’s No. 5 overall prospect, posting a 2.88 ERA between A-ball and High-A, with 98 strikeouts in 78 innings. Also coming over in the deal is infielder Kaeden Kent, the son of recently enshrined Giants Hall of Famer Jeff Kent. The Yankees made the younger Kent a third-round draft pick out of Texas A&M in 2025, and he was hitting .302/.359/.433 in his first full season in the minors for High-A Hudson Valley.
One American League scout compared Kent to Jake Cronenworth, saying, “Underrated and versatile with an efficient, compact swing and excellent makeup. That was a really good trade for Ramos.”
Southpaw shipped to Boston: The Giants dealt left-handed reliever Erik Miller to the Boston Red Sox along with minor-league outfielder Carlos Gutierrez, with big-league infielder Marcelo Mayer coming back to San Francisco.
Mayer, 23, is a former first-round draft pick, taken fourth overall in 2021, and hit .220/.282/.312 in 70 games for Boston this season, split mostly between second base and shortstop.
“I can envision him doing a lot of things based on his history,” said manager Tony Vitello, who is familiar with the former USC recruit. “Whatever elite category you want to put all those guys of his age, he really hasn’t lost steam with that. He just hasn’t had a great runway as far as staying healthy or getting consistent repetitions.”
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President of baseball operations Buster Posey said that Mayer still recovering from an injury (a bone-stress reaction in his left forearm) so he will be evaluated by the team’s medical staff before the Giants decide where he’s going. The team likes his flexibility — Mayer can play shortstop, second and third,
“Very talented,” the AL scout said. “He deserves that high draft pedigree, he’s reliable and sure-handed and he has a stylish, sweet lefty swing. He just needs a touch more seasoning.”
Miller, a Stanford product, has been a bullpen stalwart for the Giants for three seasons; this year, he posted a 2.76 ERA while nailing down four saves.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.