San Francisco Giants improved present, future at trade deadline

The trade deadline has come and gone and Farhan Zaidi and the rest of the San Francisco Giants front office found ways to improve the team for both the present and future.

After a month of swirling rumors, the San Francisco Giants made a flurry of moves on deadline day that will impact this year’s team, while at the same time also further enriching what was already a farm system on the rise.

With just a 2.5-game deficit to overcome in the wild-card standings, it wasn’t a surprise to see Zaidi take that approach.

In total, the Giants made five moves at the deadline. When the dust settled, Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith were still members of the team and the relief corps still looked strong despite several members being shipped elsewhere.

Let’s take a closer look at three deals that perfectly illustrated how the San Francisco Giants helped themselves for the present, the future and both:

Deal that helps the present

The San Francisco Giants acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett from the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later or cash. The 2018 All-Star will likely take over as the starting second baseman when he meets up with the team in Colorado on Friday.

A groin injury has limited him to only 21 games this year and it has taken some time for him to shake off the rust, but he may be finding his stroke as he’s hitting .308 with three RBI in his last seven games.

If he can return to form, he’ll bring much-needed thunder to a Giants lineup that currently ranks 27th in the majors with 111 home runs. The free-agent-to-be is coming off back-to-back seasons with 20 or more home runs.

Deal that helps both the present and future

In their first deal of the day, the San Francisco Giants acquired infielder Mauricio Dubon, who was the No. 3 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers system, according to MLB.com.

Relievers Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black were sent the other way in what may have been the move of the day.

In that deal, Zaidi may very well have acquired the team’s starting second baseman for 2020 and beyond for peanuts. Pomeranz had been lights out for the Giants since moving to the bullpen, but he was not part of the team’s future plans. Black has a lively fastball,  but he was already 29 years old and had yet to establish himself at the MLB level.

While Gennett will help at second base immediately, Dubon could arrive in September when rosters expand. His versatility is a big plus, as he can play second, shortstop and third base. He’s hitting .297 with a career-high 16 home runs at Triple-A this season and has an extremely high floor.

Deal that helps the future 

Zaidi continued to dip into his bullpen by trading Mark Melancon to the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Dan Winkler and Tristan Beck.

This deal helps the San Francisco Giants future outlook in multiple ways.

Beck was the No. 17 prospect in the Atlanta system at the time of the trade, according to MLB.com. The former Stanford Cardinal and California native has a 5.65 ERA at the High-A level, but he’s capable of developing into a quality prospect.

Meanwhile, Winkler could help the bullpen this year if he can rediscover the form he showed last season when he posted a 3.43 ERA with 23 holds in 69 appearances while racking up 69 strikeouts in 60.1 innings.

The cherry on top is that the Braves will be taking on all the money still owed to Melancon, which amounts to roughly $18 million. That will give the front office more flexibility on the free-agent market this winter.

It’s an exciting time to be a San Francisco Giants fan. The front office was able to execute a slew of moves at the deadline that helped this year’s club, while also adding a handful of intriguing prospects that can be a part of the team’s future. Now it’s time to buckle up for the playoff push.