There seemed to be two clear paths for the San Francisco Giants to take at the trade deadline: take advantage of a strong seller’s market and deal their most valuable chips, or fully buy into having a healthy rotation and add a piece or two to their often-underwhelming lineup.
Both of those options would have been understandable to the fan base, for varying reasons. The only thing the Giants couldn’t do was approach the deadline with trepidation — if they were going to sell, then sell. And if they were going to take their chances in the wild-card race, then fully commit and upgrade the offense.