The San Francisco Giants have recently gotten hot and are within striking distance of a wild card spot in the NL entering Wednesday.
Despite that, they’re still reportedly planning on being sellers at the trade deadline.
“San Francisco’s recent success isn’t throwing a wrench in the team’s trade-Bumgarner-and-all-the-relievers plan,” Jeff Passan of ESPN noted. “Even with their best run of the year, the Giants are three games below .500 and have the third-worst run differential in the NL. They are selling. One more time, a bit slower. They. Are. Selling.”
While the Giants were in the NL West cellar for much of the season, they were in a tie for third entering Wednesday. While the Los Angeles Dodgers are running away with the division title, the Giants were only three out of the second NL Wild Card spot heading into Wednesday’s game.
Overall, though the Giants haven’t had a good season. Excluding the first game of the season, they haven’t even been at .500 in 2019.
The two most intriguing trade candidates are starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner and closer Will Smith. Both are also pending free agents.
While Bumgarner he struggled some early in the season, he’s had a decent year overall, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.217 WHIP, and 121 strikeouts in 116.2 innings. He also has a strong postseason reputation and an unrivaled World Series resume. A number of teams are reported to be interested in him.
Smith, meanwhile, has also drawn interest from around the league. He’s been one of baseball’s best closers in 2019, posting 24 saves with a 2.75 ERA, 0.890 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.