An SF Giants Fan Guide to the MLB Divisional Series

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Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves high fives teammate Pablo Sandoval. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

SF Giants Rooting Interests: Marlins vs Braves

The young Marlins rotation should include Cincinnati Reds starter Luis Castillo, but they made the same mistake the Giants did when they traded him. Instead, the closest thing to a former Giant they have on the postseason roster is outfielder Matt Joyce, who was with the Giants in spring training last year before he was traded to the Braves for cash.

Nick Vincent was a reliever in the Giants pen last year and made 22 regular season appearances for Miami, but he’s only on the Marlins 40-man roster.

Atlanta, on the other hand, has seemed to be collecting Sabean/Bobby Evans era Giants like their a hotly desired collectible. Former Giants top prospect Charlie Culberson has been a utilityman for the Braves for some time and was recently recalled for the team’s postseason roster. Adam Duvall mashed 16 home runs in just 190 regular season at-bats too. The Braves also added Pablo Sandoval to their roster for the postseason.

On the pitching side, both Will Smith and Mark Melancon were in the Giants bullpen in July of last year. Of course, the Braves acquired Melancon for prospect Tristan Beck last July and signed Smith last offseason. Melancon has solidified himself as the team’s closer and Smith has recovered well from a terrible start of the season.

For what it’s worth, my Yankees/Rays logic applies here as well. The Marlins success is a credit to their scouts, player development group, and players, but a deep playoff run could easily justify this expanded playoff that will incentivize regular season wins even less than they already are.