After winning over 100 games last season, the San Francisco Giants have struggled to find a consistent rhythm this season. Losing guys like Kris Bryant, Kevin Gausman, and Buster Posey were crucial to why San Francisco has not been able to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. As the trade deadline wrapped up, it was unclear if the Giants were buyers and sellers after August 2.
The front office decided to let go of four veterans, but they kept the veteran nucleus of Carlos Rodon, Joc Pederson, and Wilmer Flores. Rodon has been the best pitcher of the Giants, while Flores has been the catalyst of their offense. It was strange for them to vie for a wildcard spot in the NL because those franchises have a substantial lead that would be difficult to catch.
With these predicaments in mind, these are three changes San Francisco makes before the season ends.
Incorporate the players coming from the IL
This specific move of activating injured players, such as Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria, and Joc Pederson, has been an optimistic sight for Giants fans. Welcoming back these names is one thing, but another challenge is for manager Gabe Kapler to insert them in the best places on the batting order. For Pederson, he’s the one that had spurts of hitting incredibly, but he will need to search for that groove once again.
The hurdle of adding two veterans to the batting order for a squad that is 7.5 games behind the third wildcard spot will be tough. As Kapler starts to see the dwindling chances of entering the postseason, he will have the dilemma of playing them or giving the younger individuals more reps and playing time in September. Due to not being sellers by the deadline, the move must be to continue playing these tenured players and focus on retooling the squad in the offseason.
Have a set of pitchers that they would keep long term
When San Francisco won the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014, their pitching was sensational compared to their counterparts. There were few big names on the roster, but their internal development was fantastic. The Carlos Rodon situation must be sorted out soon because he will be a consistent All-Star caliber pitcher, but he could walk in the next few seasons.
Some young pitchers who have immense upside on their staff are Camilo Doval, Tyler Rodgers, and Logan Webb. Objectively speaking, the pitching of the Giants needs a ton of improvement. These last two months of the season prioritize the pitchers they intend to keep rather than playing everyone healthy.
Elevate the likes of LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski in the batting order
Manager Gabe Kapler has been utilizing Joc Pederson and Brandon Belt at the top of the order for the Giants. That is not necessarily wrong, but the move is to raise the confidence of the young guns who will be the core of the Giants in the next few years.
LaMonte Wade Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski are some names who could be elevated in the batting order and will have a better chance to regain their confidence. Both of these names had an excellent 2021 season, but they have encountered a plethora of issues in their current 2022 campaign. Swapping JD Davis with Darin Ruf would seem like a move that would not move the needle, but Davis shows the versatility of possibly excelling in San Francisco.
The Giants fans are dreading another pennant, or World Series run in the next 3-5 years. That is far-fetched with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets being a consistent force in the NL with their current crop of players. Thus, San Francisco must continue building from the unheralded names with remarkable potential at the significant league level.
