San Francisco Giants Trapped in a Corner With Injuries, Payroll
![SEATTLE, WA - JULY 25: Brandon Belt #9 of the San Francisco Giants reacts after hitting a single and reaching second base on an error during the seventh inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on July 25, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won 3-2. Belt left the game with help from team trainers. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Faroundthefoghorn-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1005367864-850x560-97456d4241cd7ea2924a3082f183d7e0.jpg)
The San Francisco Giants can’t catch a break this year with Brandon Belt hitting the disabled list again as Evan Longoria comes off the DL.
It just seems to be that kind of season for the San Francisco Giants at this point. You can predict injuries, the best you can do is be prepared for them and have capable back-ups.
That seems to be where the Giants have failed this season. If you put out a healthy starting nine in the lineup, and a healthy five in the rotation, this team could easily compete for the division in a watered down National League this year.
But that hasn’t been the case as we’ve hardly had a complete lineup or rotation all season.
The players who have filled in have done a nice job, but you can’t constantly count on backup performances all year and expect to win 85-plus games.
The Giants need major league ready replacements for this major league injuries. That’s hard to do when you’re up against the luxury tax and don’t have much to spend on depth.
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I’m sure the Giants would love to go out and get an everyday player to add some thump in the lineup, but those don’t come cheap. I’m also sure they’d love to go out and get a veteran starting pitcher for depth, but everybody needs one of those right now and has more prospects and funds to play with.
I don’t mean to sound too depressing here, but the fact is, the Giants front office painted themselves in a corner. They build an expensive roster of aging players who, if healthy, could be good.
But if injuries strike, like they have, there’s little-to-nothing they can do to fix the issue.
They’re currently trying to find ways to cut payroll so that they can make some additions and stay under the tax threshold.
The Giants are in an impossible situation right now with injuries and no roster flexibility. We’ll just keep hoping this team gets healthy at the same time for once this season and see what happens.