The San Francisco Giants are in a Game Against Time

Over the past two seasons the San Francisco Giants have taken their fair share of losses. Father Time on the other hand has stayed undefeated, as the current roster continues to age.

As many of us know, the past two seasons of San Francisco Giants baseball have fallen well short of great. With players continuing to age and the team’s rough performance, whispers and speculations of possible moves has followed. These whispers seem to have attached themselves to household names like Brandon Belt and Madison Bumgarner, causing many people to question what the future of the Giants looks like. Is a rebuild imminent or is one even necessary?

Let’s start with a positive perspective and say that a rebuild or displacement of key franchise players would be harmful to the future of the Giants. Currently there are only 11 players on the Giants 40-man roster that are over the age of 30.

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While age is relevant in the realm of sports, many athletes are in the peaks of their careers from ages 27-32. Although the Giants have had consecutive down seasons in terms of performance, it’s easily chalked up to obstacles such as injury and an improving division rather than players aging and declining.

For a perfect example of older players performing at their highest we can take a look at the 2002 Giants roster. With 20 players over the age of 30, the 2002 squad boasted one of the oldest teams in the MLB at the time. Players like Jeff Kent, JT Snow, and Barry Bonds all fell over that 30 year old barrier. Yet those same players and more competed and led that team to a playoff berth and a World Series. So much for age being a factor.

In contrast, the Giants now aren’t getting any younger and baseball is a young man’s game. Referring back to the Giants current 40-man roster ages, 8 of the 11 players over age 30 are high profile players, players that could bring in younger prospects with promising futures.

If you take a look around the league, it is a model that has been followed by other teams as well. Even looking back just a decade ago, the Giants battled through a period of mediocrity before building the team to championship contention hinged on young talent.

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At the end of the day, baseball is a business and the front office is going to decide what is best for the future of this team. That may mean watching fan-favorite players spend their careers with the Giants or seeing them shipped around the league. The point is that the Giants are an old team in terms of average age throughout the league and the moves made this season will be an indication of what the future of the Giants may look like.

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