I know this blog is Dodger focused and with this amazing season the last thing on our minds should be thinking about the cellar-dwelling San Francisco Giants, a team going absolutely nowhere. BUT, I can’t help it. While living amongst the Giant faithful, they gave it to me full force with both barrels for sixteen years. So now as they are on track to a 100-loss season, I can’t help but enjoy seeing the tables turn on them.

The Giants are in big trouble. This is a ball club laden with many hefty contracts belonging to aging players who’s best playing days are behind them. It is an organization that has one of the weakest farm systems in the game. The Giants are really staring at the prospect of a number of years of sub-par ball. All of this coinciding with a peaking Dodger organization that looks to be in the best shape they have been in decades.

With as bad as the Giants are this season, you’ve got to wonder if this was accidental or intentional.
(Video capture courtesy Fox Bay Area)

If you’re a Giant fan, there’s not a lot to look forward to except for the start of the Warriors season in November I guess. The Giant cupboard is bare. The future is bleak. I don’t see them coming out of this anytime soon.

Yet, their front office thinks otherwise. They did practically nothing at the trade deadline except complete a minor deal with the BoSox as they shuttled Eduardo Nunez off to Boston ten days ago in what was considered a rather insignificant deal. (The Giants acquired A+ pitcher Shaun Anderson and 17-year-old Dominican Summer league pitcher Gregory Santos, neither considered top-tier prospects).

If there ever should have been a true seller at the trade deadline this year it had to be the Giants. This is a team in need of a breakdown stripped to the bare bones. It is rebuilding time for the Giants. At least it should be. But they are holding on to that faint hope that the vets recover and all have career years in 2018. Standing pat at 40-66, just makes me shake my head.

I understand that the core of this team won three championships. These guys accomplished things that we Dodger fans dream of, but their time has come and gone. Charlie Dresson declared incorrectly in 1951 that the “Giants is dead.” I think that his bold statement would be pretty safe to say these days. Sub-par years from Crawford, Pence, Panik, Samardja, Span and Melancon are combined with injury plagued seasons from Cueto and Bumgarner. It is tough to deal off many of those guys, their contracts are awful and many are on the downside of their careers.

Even Giants fans are having their struggles this season.
(Video capture courtesy of NBC Sports)

However, there are two players that the Giants could have dealt and in the process rebuilt their entire franchise. It was their untouchables: Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner.

You trade those two pieces and you can actually build a future contender, especially at the deadline where teams will overpay to get that extra push for the playoff run. How much value can be acquired for Buster Posey at the trade deadline? Probably a team’s top four prospects and perhaps more. Then the Giants have the greatest post season pitcher of all time. Certainly, Bumgarner could fetch at least what Posey would get. In one day, the Giants could rebuild their entire farm system and be contenders in two or three years. And most likely with a payroll near the league low, allowing a future contender a lot of room to purchase key pieces if needed.

That’s how I see it. The Giants are hamstrung with older players and with expensive salary commitments. You’ve already won 3 World Series titles over an 8-year period. How many fans are able to say that? So, you pay the price now. Trade off your untouchable guys, eat the awful contracts and rebuild. Do you really think that Posey and Bumgarner want to continue their careers with a last place club year after year?

If I were a Giant fan, first, I’d probably slit my wrist, but after recovering from that, I’d be demanding that the team conduct a fire sale. There is a a finite amount of time that these pieces can be traded, and time isn’t on their side. Sure, last place finishes will get then top five draft picks, but deadline deals can restock the system with sure thing prospects. Maybe eight of them.

That’s how I see it. My two cents. Now back to Dodger baseball and our 115-win season.