Matthew Boyd Trade Rumors: Giants Had 'High-Level Scout' to See Tigers SP

Add another team to the Matthew Boyd sweepstakes. 

Earlier this month, the San Francisco Giants were widely regarded as sellers ahead of MLB's July 31 trade deadline. 

Then the Giants won 11 of 14 to start the second half of the season to give them a 52-51 record, and MLB Network's Jon Morosi relayed a report Thursday that paints them as potential buyers. 

According to Morosi, the Giants had "a high-level scout" to watch Detroit Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd's start on Tuesday. 

"According to a source with knowledge of the team's plans, the Giants are poised to become buyers if they're still in the thick of the National League Wild Card race come Monday," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand added in a separate report, "and it's all but certain ace lefty Madison Bumgarner will not be traded, regardless of how the weekend goes."

Boyd's name has been circulating in the trade rumor mill. On July 11, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News linked the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays among teams "tracking" the 28-year-old southpaw. 

Unlike the surging Giants, the Tigers are 30-67 and in need of a rebuild. 

Boyd is an appealing trade chip as he will remain under team control through 2022. 

From a production standpoint, Boyd is enjoying the best season of his career since entering the major leagues in 2015. His underwhelming 6-8 record aside, Boyd has a 4.07 ERA and 1.135 WHIP along with an American League-leading 6.46 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

Additionally, per FanGraphs, Boyd's 12.00 strikeout per nine innings average ranks fourth in MLB behind Gerrit Cole, Chris Sale and Max Scherzer. 

However, all of this does not mean Boyd is certainly on the move. Morosi reported Wednesday that the Tigers "remain uncertain" on whether to deal him and added that the organization's front office has "maintained a high asking price." 

Other teams actively linked to Boyd are the Philadelphia Phillies, according to NBC's Jim Salisbury, and the New York Yankees, though NJ.com's Mike Rosenstein reported earlier Thursday that Boyd's asking price "might be too high" for New York.