Chicken soup for the San Francisco Giants fan’s soul: 2015 trade deadline

Jun 28, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

Never fear, San Francisco Giants fans. We’ve been here before.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty disappointed over losing the David Price battle, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Rampant speculation made it seem like Price might come to the City by the Bay, but the 29-year-old All-Star pitcher in his prime slipped out of the team’s hands.

Official: Price from #Tigers to #BlueJays for Norris, Labourt and Boyd.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 30, 2015

Not only did we not do enough to get Price, but we lost the Cole Hamels bidding war too.

sources: hamels is going to the rangers. @sullivan_rangers was first in
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 30, 2015

Well, now what? We’re doomed, right?

Wait a minute. Let’s think about this. We have basically the same team that won the 2014 World Series, are only 0.5 game back of the first place Dodgers in the NL West, and still have plenty of trade options before the 1:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. ET trade deadline and all of our key players (Nori Aoki, Jake Peavy, Matt Cain, and Hunter Pence) are healthy for the first time all season. Another huge lift is that the Los Angeles Dodgers lost both of these bidding wars as well.

So, why are we acting as if our season is over?

Everybody take a deep breath with me. Inhale…exhale. Now count from 1-10 slowly. Tomorrow is a million miles away.

Complete relaxation.

OK, I’ve had enough of that soft stuff. But seriously, guys, don’t be discouraged.

Remember at this same time in 2014 when we struck out on second baseman Daniel Murphy, outfielder Alex Rios, starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija, and even (then All-Star) Chase Utley. It was as much madness this year as it was last year.

How did we win the World Series? The front office stayed patient and continued to fight to fill the team’s holes, ultimately trading for Jake Peavy to give them a veteran fifth starter.

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How about 2012 when the Giants pursued outfielders Shin-Soo Choo and Scott Hairston, as well as pitcher Wandy Rodriguez? Of course the counter-argument would be that San Francisco still traded for Hunter Pence, and yes, that is true. Nobody knew that the Giants were going to trade for Marco Scutaro, though, and no way anybody would have guessed that he would go on to win the 2012 NLCS MVP.

The point is, they pursued their needs without emptying their minor-league prospect pool or disturbing team chemistry..

They did what they believed in, not what the media and their fans thought they should do.

In fact, the only time that the Giants did make the big move of the deadline was in 2011 in their trade for Carlos Beltran. They not only missed the playoffs, but lost pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, only to have Beltran sign with the St. Louis Cardinals three months later. Not exactly a good move by any measure.

This year is no different. Stay patient, because you never know what the 2015 trade deadline will hold for our beloved San Francisco Giants. Who knows? Maybe a mega-deal with San Diego will bring James Shields, and Craig Kimbrel to the Bay. Or maybe the Giants stay put and wait, like a snake waiting for its prey. Similar to the snake, it is no doubt that the Giants front office will strike sooner or later.

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