The San Francisco Giants have some tough decisions to make in the next few days as the team has now lost four of five out of the All-Star break.
While not buying at the trade deadline would be disappointing, players or fans can’t be too upset with the decision at this point. The Giants players are the only ones who could make them do so, and with a chance to solidify that out of the break, they’ve struggled in big ways.
Now 5.0 games out of the third Wild Card in a crowded National League playoff picture, there might not be much of a reason to buy.
Staying pat is tough, too, because trading some of their veterans could get packages back that help the future of the team. However, if they do stay pat with Blake Snell already returning, Robbie Ray expected to pitch on Wednesday for the first time all year, and Alex Cobb coming back soon, perhaps they could make some noise.
There are other issues outside of the injuries, but that’s been the biggest concern more than 100 games into the season.
Selling is certainly a possibility, and from what skipper Bob Melvin said, he all but confirmed that if things don’t change, it could happen, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
“You can’t help but know where we are. There’s some other teams separating a little bit and we’re dropping farther back. We’ve talked about the cavalry coming, but we need to do it now.
“So we’re gonna have to wear this one a little bit today and come out and win a game tomorrow. Because the more we dig a hole for ourselves, the tougher it’s going to be.”
If they find a way to win their last two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers after dropping the first two of the four-game set, they could be in a position to not sell.
After this Dodgers series, they have a four-game set against the Colorado Rockies, who, despite just losing a series against them, should be a team they beat. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but the Rockies are a beatable team.
With about a week until the deadline, there are more questions than ever about their plans. These next few days could make them even more confusing, depending on how they go.
Winning often solves everything, so if the players want to buy, they need to win some ball games.
