What the SF Giants need to accomplish at the 2024 MLB trade deadline

The MLB trade deadline is finally here. The SF Giants have stayed relatively quiet at the deadline in recent seasons, but they need to prove that there is a vision with this organization. They need to pick a lane as to whether they will buy and sell.

What the SF Giants need to accomplish at the 2024 MLB trade deadline

Since Farhan Zaidi took over as president of baseball operations in November of 2018, the Giants have recorded just one winning season. They currently have a 53-55 overall record, so they are in jeopardy of making it just one winning season over the past six years.

They have only reached the playoffs once since the start of 2017. Some of that is not Zaidi's fault, but the current iteration of the roster is entirely his making.

It feels like the Giants have been running in place for the past couple of years. This year feels no different as they have a quality roster, but the gears are not clicking together for one reason or another.

In fairness to the front office, they have been one of the more aggressive teams in free agency over the past couple of years. That said, few of the moves they have made have paid dividends.

Perhaps, some of the blame lay directly on the players. However, a good portion of the blame comes from the evaluation of those signings.

It was not that long ago when the Giants organization was regarded as one of the best in baseball, especially after winning three World Series titles in five years. That type of recognition often comes with winning. However, they are no longer viewed in that light and that has been the case for years.

If you squint at this year's roster, you can begin to see a young core forming with Patrick Bailey, Heliot Ramos, Kyle Harrison, Haydon Birdsong, and others. This was not evident in prior years as the team relieved heavily on veteran players.

The farm system is finally feeding the major league roster and it has made fans eager to see what the future holds. Perhaps, this year's team is the start of something special building over the next few years.

With that being said, this year's trade deadline feels like a critical juncture where the Giants can either try to compete for a playoff spot or take advantage of what appears to be a seller's market by trading some of their assets.

What the Giants need to do is pick a direction. They need to do the opposite of what they did last year by saying they tried and ending up with A.J. Pollock for six forgettable plate appearances. Respectfully, that type of move was an insult to trying.

If they buy, I get it. The rotation is at full strength for the first time all season. Blake Snell looks like an ace again and Robbie Ray was electric in his debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers last week. Snell and Ray along with Logan Webb, Kyle Harrison, and Hayden Birdsong would be a formidable rotation down the stretch. Plus, Alex Cobb should not be far behind.

However, there is inherent risk with that approach as well. If the Giants do not make the playoffs, it is a sign that they continue to be stuck in the middle. In sports, that can sometimes be the worst place to be.

Plus, if they pass up what appears to be a seller's market, it could be another missed opportunity by this front office to create something for the future. It is a hard decision to sell after they set a franchise record by committing $254.5 million against the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT). That is not an easy realization for the fanbase or ownership group to digest.

While the fanbase is eager to see the Giants reach the playoffs again, they can tolerate one more chance at retooling for 2025 and beyond. This trade deadline might be what makes that happen and push them closer to competing.

At this point, the front office needs to draw a line in the sand and say this is who we are. That plan has seemingly been missing for the past few years. More often than not, they were relying on a lot of things to go right to sneak into the playoffs.

The Giants need to have a vision. You can start to see it forming this year, but there could be a way to jumpstart it at the trade deadline. This feels like an important day for Zaidi's tenure as the head of the front office and it might be what determines if he is the right leader or not.