3 former SF Giants players we'll be glad are gone, and 2 we'll wish stayed

The SF Giants have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball over the past decade-plus, winning three World Series titles since 2010.

This year's club is led by position players like Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, Joc Pederson, Brandon Crawford and Thairo Estrada. A common theme amongst these names is that they're (mostly) all on the wrong side of 30 except. The team just does not have as much young firepower as it once had.

On the pitching side, things are largely the same. All five starters (including the sixth starter, whether it's Sean Manaea or Ross Stripling) are also on the wrong side of 30 except for Logan Webb.

Perhaps it's the lack of youth on the 2023 roster that's contributed to the 4-6 start through the team's first 10 games. Perhaps the team just doesn't have the same amount of "oomph" behind it as it once did.

What if the Giants never parted ways with some of the star-caliber players they've had over the years? For some, it'd be detrimental for the club to still roster them. For others, their inclusion on this 26-man roster could be enough to turn this season around in the early going and inject some hope into a team that has looked, well, hopeless (so far).

Let's travel back in time to the not-so-distant future and check out three former Giants players we're glad moved on, and two we wish stayed with the team.

Former SF Giants player we're glad is gone: Evan Longoria

It's hard to fault the Giants' front office for trying on this one. At the time of the huge trade that sent Evan Longoria to the Giants, he had been coming off of a highly successful 10-year run in Tampa Bay with the Rays. Him and his massive contract were going to the Bay Area and would remain on the Giants payroll for better or for worse.

By the time he had joined the Giants, he was already a three-time All-Star, former Rookie of the Year, 2009 Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glove Award winner. He had established himself as one of the top talents at third base in the entire league.

Then he was traded to the Giants and, of course, the rails fell off. For one of the first times in his career, health became a yearly issue for Longoria on the team, and he didn't perform well when he was available. This is never a good combination, and ultimately led to him being demoted to part-time player.

Longo's best full season with the Giants came back in 2019 when he hit 20 home runs and drove in 69 in 129 games. His OPS+ of 101 suggests that he was a mere 1 percent above league-average with the bat, a far cry from where he was in his Rays days.

That 2019 season was the final one that saw a player who at one time seemed like a future Hall of Famer make it into 100 or more games. In each year after that, he didn't even top 89 appearances. His bat was still okay and his defense was beginning to decline, but by the time his contract expired, he was a shell of the player he once was.

Former SF Giants player we're glad is gone: Johnny Cueto

Johnny Cueto, much like Longoria and Bryant, came over to the Giants after establishing himself as one of the best in the league at his respective position. Cueto, the first pitcher to crack this list, was the Cincinnati Reds' ace for many years before spending half a season with the Royals, winning a World Series in the process.

He then signed a huge six-year, $130M contract with San Francisco that included a club option for a seventh season. At first, this deal actually seemed to be a bit of a steal, as Cueto somehow hit a whole new level on the mound. In 32 starts during the 2016 season, he went 18-5 with a 2.79 ERA, 2.95 FIP and 144 ERA+. His five complete games led the National League and he finished sixth in the NL Cy Young voting that year.

In essentially every year after this through the end of his contract, Cueto struggled with staying healthy for long periods of time and had troubles getting outs consistently when he was healthy. The vast majority of his contract wound up hurting the Giants far more than helping them.

In the five years after that 2016 season, Cueto made just 72 appearances with a 4.38 ERA and 95 ERA+, a far cry from where he had been prior to the injury bug.

Now, Cueto did make a triumphant return in 2022 to the Chicago White Sox, and performed admirably for them. His 118 ERA+ was the highest he had since 2016 and he gave the White Sox something they desperately needed: innings and depth out of their starters. He signed a one-year deal with the Marlins in the 2022-2023 offseason and has a 36.00 ERA in one inning of work.

Former SF Giants player we wish stayed: Carlos Rodón

This may feel painfully obvious, but the Giants' current rotation could use Carlos Rodón leading it again. He is currently on the injured list for the New York Yankees, but the importance of what he was able to do for this Giants club on a one-year "prove it" type of deal, cannot be overstated.

After a seven-year stint with the Chicago White Sox, Rodón had shown immense promise at various points, highlighted by a 2021 no-hitter and eventual All-Star Game selection and fifth place finish in the AL Cy Young race.

He turned this performance into a two-year deal with the Giants. As we all know, he opted out after the first year, eyeing a larger payday, which he got from the Yankees. In 31 starts for the .500 Giants, the southpaw was truly elite. Across 178 innings, he went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, major league-leading 2.25 FIP and a 140 ERA+.

He was the steadiest of presences atop the rotation, striking out a career-high 237 batters while allowing just 12 home runs all year long, good for a 0.6 HR/9 mark, easily the best of his career. Another All-Star Game and sixth place finish in the Cy Young voting made it an easy decision for him to opt out and re-test the free agent pool.

Again, Rodón is injured at this time, but he remains an elite talent when he's healthy.

Former SF Giants player we wish stayed: Kevin Gausman

Another obvious choice, but an important one nonetheless. Kevin Gausman, unlike Rodón didn't actually hit ace-level until he joined the Giants. The right-hander spent years bouncing around the league from the Orioles, Braves and Reds before landing in San Francisco in 2020.

After making 12 appearances of 3.62 ERA-ball in 2020, he went 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA and 147 ERA+ in 2021. In nearly every single facet, he broke out and became one of the best pitchers in the game.

Like so many before him, Gausman elected free agency and didn't return to the Giants after his time with the club was up. Instead, he signed a five-year, $110M contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Since then, he has found a way to elevate his game even further.

Last year for the Blue Jays, Gausman, now 32, had a 3.35 ERA and American League-leading 2.38 FIP in 31 starts. He finished ninth in the Cy Young voting, but he did an exceptional job to prove that the year prior with the Giants was no fluke.

Naturally, his 2023 season is off to a red-hot start as well. In two starts, Gausman has a 0.00 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 12 innings of work. The Giants sure could use someone like him atop their rotation right now.