The deadline approaches.
On Friday, four games stood between the San Francisco Giants and the 2024 MLB trade deadline. And those four games figured to impact what the team would do before the deadline, which is tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. PT.
Had the Giants lost the series — or probably even just split it — you could go ahead and call Tobias Fünke and film a commercial for the fire sale. Anyone who isn’t part of the long-term plans and who has trade value would be dangled eagerly and aggressively.
Instead, the Giants won all four games. And yes, they were at home against one of the worst teams in baseball, but they still won all four games, and they still looked good doing it, and they still rode the type of starting pitching performances (courtesy of Kyle Harrison, Blake Snell, and Hayden Birdsong) that affirm just how dominant the rotation can be.
But rumors will swirl today. With every passing report, it becomes clear that Blake Snell has more trade value than Carlos Rodón two years ago, and the Giants apparently think they can offload Michael Conforto’s contract and even get something in return. Mike Yastrzemski’s name has been mentioned, as has Alex Cobb and Taylor Rogers’, though things are complicated by the fact that Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada — two of the team’s prime trade candidates — are on the IL.
So are they selling or standing pat? We still don’t know. One factor that could influence things is that the Chicago Cubs — 1.5 games behind the Giants in the Wild Card standings — have established themselves as buyers. In my eyes, that makes it harder for the Giants to sell … the optics of selling when a team behind you is buying just aren’t good.
But we’ll soon find out. I lean — both in what I think they should do and what I think they will do — towards the team standing pat, with roughly the same squad standing between the lines on Tuesday night when they host the Oakland A’s. But today could be a long, rumor-filled affair.