San Francisco Giants: The market has been set, it’s on Bobby Evans now

With news of the big trade breaking with the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants fans, and their GM should be happy. The market has been set, so it’s time to get to work now.

The San Francisco Giants will begin post all-star break play 22 games under .500, and last in the division. They’re spending $180 million + on this years roster, while the team ahead of them is spending a little less than $40 million. It’s time the Giants move on from a lot of players. Some are going to be near impossible to move for anything worthwhile. There are a few on the list that you could definitely get something for. So it’s time for Bobby Evans to put up or shut up. Make some moves to improve your team in terms of financial competition (more spending room), as well as re-tool with younger, controllable players.

The Chicago Cubs started off the big-time trade market, two days after the all-star break. ICYMI, here is a link to a news story on this trade. The Cubs gave up two of their top prospects, and a few of their “B-Level” prospects as well. In return they got a “premium” starter that doesn’t even enter arbitration for a few more seasons.

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The Giants aren’t getting that haul back for Johnny Cueto, unless he’s paired with someone, or a team is dumb enough to go all out. However, I still think that market setter is good for Cueto. Some don’t believe a team would give up an overall Top 100 prospect for Cueto, I actually think they would, especially if that player was the centerpiece of the deal, in a position that the team really has no room for that player. The biggest case here would be the Astros. They have a couple of young, solid outfield prospects, but have their outfield plugged up with guys like George Springer, Josh Reddick, and Marwin Gonzalez.

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The absolute worst thing for the Giants to do is nothing. And with Evans saying the Giants “aren’t inclined” to trade Cueto, the “nothing” seems to be possibility. I’ll say this. If Evans channels the dog sitting in the house on fire while drinking coffee meme, and just says “This is fine,” it’s not fine. When the Giants charged through the roof for ticket prices, and people are considering not renewing their season tickets, it’s not fine.

When you promise a fanbase, and a city, the financial ability to be a contender every season, but you’re 22 games under .500 at the break, with more than a $180 million payroll, it’s not fine. Evans has to do something.

I’m not saying he blows up the team. Free agency will naturally do that over the next few years, and there are still some very serviceable pieces of the core left, that won’t be gone for the next three to four seasons. It just means it’s time to re-tool around that core. It’s either going to take forever, and then the core isn’t serviceable and you don’t capitalize on their talent window, or you can start within the next two weeks and accelerate that timeline. Teams like the Cubs, teams like the Indians, and teams like the White Sox are doing that now.

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If contention is going to be a reality in 2018, it’s going to require the Giants to make the most of this trade window. The Cubs and White-Sox have broken the game open, and now Bobby Evans is stepping to the plate, with the bases chucked. He can either strike out looking and not take the bat off his shoulder, or put the ball in play. So what’s it going to be?