With the exception of the hiccup last night where we really should have beat the opener against the Fish and possibly a very tough game tonight against Josh Johnson, the Giants have been on fire as of late, winning every series out of the gate after the all star break.
But as the trade deadline approaches I wonder: Do the Giants have what it takes to finish this season with a playoff berth? And more importantly, are there any potential trades that would allow us to make that extra step?
My answer is (God I hope so..) and (No)
Here's why based on the guys who we've got our crosshairs on:
Jorge Cantu - Not impressive at all so far this season. He's hitting .260 with 10 home runs, going .211 in the past month. On top of that he's a liability at 3rd base defensively.
- who he'd replace = Panda - as bad of a season he's had, Panda is doing a lot better lately and actually getting hits with runners in scoring position. If he starts looking like the Panda of 2009, we'll be in great shape.
Prince Fielder - I dont' think anyone can dispute that this guy is a beast (24 dingers). A guy who has one of the biggest power bats who's a lefty? Who does that remind you of? *cough BARRY cough*. Here's the problem: Next year the Prince is going to be a free agent and the Giants most definitely don't have the money to keep him. So we'd be trading valuable pieces for a rental.
- who he'd replace = Aubrey Huff - 19 Homers hitting .306 to Prince's .260. Technically Huff would not be replaced since he can easily switch to the outfield putting Pat the Bat on the bench.
Corey Hart - 22 home runs, hitting .292, this is another power bat we might be interested in. Not a bad choice, I might like seeing him hit cleanup with Aubrey Huff hitting 3rd and Posey hitting 5th.
- who he'd replace = Nate Shierholtz - ladies please let out a sigh of relief as I tell you... Nate's not going anywhere. Nate is valuable as both one of the Giants' few left handed hitters and as one of the best defensive Right Fielders in the league.
However with an already loaded outfield someone's gotta go if we trade for yet another outfielder. So who don't you like? Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell, Nate Shierholtz.
With these choices, most if not all of the interested teams are shopping for what the Giants have most of: Starting Pitching. And that translates to Mr. No Hitter himself, Jonathan Sanchez. Granted that Sanchy hasn't been that great as of late, and is the poster boy for the new Giants' slogan: TORTURE. He still has more value than Corey and Jorge and Fielder with an expiring contract.
On top of that, Sanchez would not be all they want, these teams most likely require another young position player such as a john bowker or matt downs. If after all that you'd want to go forward with another bat at the expense of our rotation, be my guest.
Just dont' complain when the Giants end up starting Joe Martinez against the Padres in a close playoff race.
Laws of the Day
Giants had a 6-1 road trip through LA and Arizona improving to a slightly more respectable 15-21 against NL West opponents.
Wild Card watch: Giants in 1st by 1.5 games over Cincinati Reds
Oh, yeah, very much a wild card watch for the Giants:) Also, it's nice to see Panda doing a little better again after the lull he was in.
ReplyDeleteIdea: Even if the Giants are winning let's see how they stack up against some of the other top teams right now in both leagues. i.e their record almost matches the Red Sox exactly, just food for thought:)