Giants’ Zaidi downplays need for key deadline acquisition

At 45–47, the Giants are ten games behind the Dodgers for the lead of the NL West. They are two and a half games behind in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot, with three teams (including division-rivals San Diego and Arizona) to claim that spot. The Pirates are only a half game behind San Francisco in the standings. The Cubs are only one game behind. It’s a tough contest of fringe contenders, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi isn’t publicly broadcasting any urgency to separate his club from the pack.

“When I look at our team, we have very solid players at every position on the field,” Zaidi said last night. (Link via San Francisco Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin). “We have a rotation that is getting healthy and a bullpen that has done a good job. So nothing comes up where we need an emergency plug in.”

The rotation health that Zaidi is referring to does not include the current Cy Young winner. blake snellJoe returned from the IL and had his best start of the season last night, but the veteran hurler also Robbie Ray And alex cobb, Ray, acquired in an offseason swap with the Mariners for 2023, is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Cobb, whose $10MM option was exercised after the 2023 season, has had a longer-than-expected recovery from hip surgery. Both veterans are currently on minor league rehabilitation assignments that could see them activated later this month.

In some cases, that was always the plan. After signing free agents Snell and Jordan Hicks to pair with ace logan webb, the Giants pieced together the rest of their first-half rotation with a series of in-house promotions and bullpen games. injuries to Tristan Beck, keaton winn And kyle harrison Have tested their depth many times.

The results throughout the season were not good overall. Giants starters rank last in the majors with 428 innings pitched and are 22nd in each of ERA (4.48), strikeout rate (20.8%) and walk rate (8.3%). The imminent return of Ray and Cobb could help change the situation, but it’s also worth noting that Hicks has regressed considerably after a hot start — perhaps no surprise since he’s now a reliever making Is in an unknown state as of (in terms of workload) transitioning to starting pitching.

While the Giants can look forward to a rotation of Webb, Ray, Cobb, Harrison and Hicks soon – a truly strong quintet if all are healthy – the question of depth remains. Winn has been out since June 21 with elbow inflammation and has not started rehabilitation. Beck has been out the entire season after requiring surgery to treat an aneurysm in his shoulder. Cheater mason black There have been major setbacks in the three starts. fellow debut hurler hayden birdsong Performed slightly better but was hardly dominant during three visits to the hill. top prospect Carson Whisenhunt Has started 18 games in Triple-A but has a 5.79 ERA and 11.7% walk rate.

Similarly, the bullpen has its own list of questions. San Francisco’s relievers have thrown more innings (383 1/3) than any team in MLB, as one would naturally expect from a team with the sport’s lowest rotation innings. Part of this is attributable to his frequent use of the bullpen game – a strategy that can take its toll on the relief corps over time. Veterans have got powerful jobs ryan walker, shaun hazel, taylor rogers And tyler rogers In this weather. near camilo doval The pitcher has been less effective than in the past, with a pedestrian 4.04 ERA and a worrying 14.2% walk rate (the worst mark of his career). newbie right handed Randy Rodriguez Has been good in middle relief, but fellow newbie landen raupp and experienced luke jackson Have struggled. As with the rotation, the bullpen has a talented core group but could certainly be deepened.

In terms of position players, the Giants have received strong production from each of catcher, first base, and third base. patrick bailey The back of the dish is engraved with a fragment of bedrock. Experienced OBP Machine Lamonte Wade Jr. There is a sound option at first base. matt chapman Is hitting well and playing plus defense at the hot corner.

In the outfield, the Giants have looked to former top prospect heliot ramos Emerge as an all-star. Michael Conforto’s recent hot streak (.289/.391/.658 in last 15 games) has pulled him toward above-average offensive production overall. mike yastrzemski Very weak so far and will probably fight back luis matos for the time being. George Soler Has produced average offense out of the DH spot, but is going nowhere in the first season of a three-year, $42MM deal.

The middle ground is made up of very few stones. Recent DFA of Nick Ahmed Is tyler fitzgerald And Brett Wisely There tickets were taken continuously for the delegates. Both are hitting well, but doing so with particularly good luck on balls in play. second baseman Thairo Estrada Just returned from the injured list, but when healthy he has batted just .227/.260/.371 in 315 plate appearances – down from the .266/.320/.416 he slashed from 2021-23. Very far.

Perhaps Zaidi is right in suggesting that there is no pretense need Where the giants are performing with disastrous results and no reinforcements on the horizon. The sixth-year president of baseball operations spoke about the importance of allowing players like Fitzgerald and Matos to come to the big leagues and felt they had the opportunity to earn playing time just like Ramos.

Plus, relying on production from so many unproven assets is a risky proposition for a team that has a legitimate playoff chance despite a sub-.500 record. It’s always a fine line to walk, allowing players like Fitzgerald and Matos to get playing time while also trying to remain competitive. The Giants also sit on a club-record $208MM payroll and are currently, according to RosterResource, about $16MM north of the luxury tax threshold. It’s unclear how much ownership is willing to spend on that record expense — if they’re willing at all.