The San Francisco Giants were relatively quiet at the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline, but there's still plenty to glean from what they did and didn't do in late-July. Here's 3 Things We Learned About The Giants At The Trade Deadline.
San Francisco Is Fine With The Front Of Their Rotation..
...but they knew well enough that they needed an innings eater at the back of the rotation. Mike Leake was/is the right man for the job, but his current stint on the 15-day disabled with a left hamstring strain mucks things up for the time being. They gave a solid return in 1B prospect Adam Duvall and RHY Keury Mella, but it the thought process was to spell the bullpen with a guy who has thrown six innings or more in 12 of his past 14 starts. The Giants are hook for just under $3.5 million and can reassess a potential re-signing before Leake hits free agency this winter. For now they'll lean on Ryan Vogelsong again and hope he can provide some level of consistency every fifth day.
Contact Over Power
There we plenty of power-hitting options dangling out there on the trade market this July -- something which may have been tempting for Executive VP Brian Sabean and GM Bobby Evans considering S.F. is in the middle of the MLB pack with 97 home runs (T-18th). However, the Giants' collection of gap/contact hitters are 3rd in the MLB in batting average (.272) and 7th in runs scored (485). Sabean and Evans weren't about to mess with the chemistry of the current lineup and that's A-OK.
Confidence Is Key
As of this writing on Sunday, the Giants are 3.5 games out in both the NL West and NL Wild Card races. San Francisco has been here before, understanding that there will be plenty of chances and time to catch up if they can escape the dog days of August still in contention. With three World Series championships in five years, the Giants can afford to stand pat (for the most part) and confidentally bank on a late-season run. Would you really bet against them?
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