As a group, the Giants’ high-priced infield of third baseman Matt Chapman, shortstop Willy Adames, second baseman Luis Arraez and first baseman Rafael Devers has underperformed this season.
Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
“There’s not a quiet rebuild going on,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said about the direction of the floundering Giants during an interview on KNBR on Thursday morning. “We’re still trying to win.”
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason, has shown dramatic improvement this season in the field and at the plate, making him a logical trade candidate if the season continues to spiral.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
The San Francisco Giants limped home this week with a 20-30 record. A very large sample size informing us exactly who they are:
So where do they go from here? Do they tear it down, as much as they can? Or do they keep hoping things somehow turn around?
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Though theoretically not completely out of contention — hey, miracles and 20-game win streaks can happen — this is looking more and more like one more forgettable season. Another 162-game season of mediocrity, or outright disaster, with everyone, from ownership to the president of baseball operations to the newbie manager to his staff to the high-salaried veterans all failing to perform well in their jobs.
Only Casey Schmitt, Luis Arraez and Ron Washington get gold stars.
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A year ago, the Giants were 29-21, in second place in the NL West and just two games out of first. They were kind of gritty, a little gutsy, and promising enough to prompt Buster Posey to pull the trigger on an enormous trade just three weeks later, bringing in Rafael Devers.
This team is the exact opposite. They are not gritty, not gutsy, instead wallowing in fourth place, 11 games out and saved from the worst record in the National League only by the lowly Colorado Rockies.
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What happens now? Does Posey make another big move, unloading what he can and going in — as much as possible — on development?
It seems to be the logical course, though there’s only so many moves to make. Fans may clamor for the team to unload Devers or Willy Adames, but what team is going to take on those contracts? What could the Giants get by trading such veterans when their value is at its lowest?
Still, there are possibilities. The Giants could trade Robbie Ray, their only left-handed starter and a player who has value to a contending team. They could also — and we hate to say this because he’s been the most compelling thing about this team — trade Arraez, who has been nothing short of brilliant with both his bat and his defense. He signed a one-year contract with the Giants, betting on himself, and will clearly earn a much bigger deal in the offseason.
Trading Arraez would also address the Giants’ biggest problem, which is roster construction. Its composition makes no sense, especially with the call-up of rookie Bryce Eldridge who plays the same two positions as Devers. By trading Arraez, Schmitt could move to second base and Devers and Eldridge could share the first base and designated hitter roles.
The call-up of Eldridge is one more mystifying thing about the Giants. Since coming up two-plus weeks ago to save the day after the disastrous road trip to Philadelphia and Tampa, he has appeared in 10 games and has just 35 plate appearances.
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The Giants seem resistant to a rebuild. In an interview on KNBR on Thursday morning, Posey insisted, “There’s not a quiet rebuild going on,” and said “we’re still trying to win.” To many questions, including those about Eldridge’s development, he said, “It’s day to day.”
But the days are slipping away. Almost a third of the season is complete.
Another huge problem is the bullpen, which everyone could see coming back to last August when Randy Rodriguez — who had just been made the closer — injured his elbow, resulting in Tommy John surgery. The Giants’ Plan B seemed to hinge on a hope that Ryan Walker, who lost the job last season, would reemerge as the closer. He did not. Now the Giants are operating with a bullpen by committee, a sure recipe for disaster.
Why didn’t ownership spend money in the offseason on a closer? Posey got a little testy when he was asked that, deriding “armchair quarterbacks” who might have wanted Edwin Diaz, who the Dodgers signed and is now on the injured list. That was a disingenuous response because Diaz doesn’t necessarily get injured under different circumstances and there were other closers to be had.
Giants ownership spent very little in the offseason, indicating that the June trade for Devers such a big move, little else was needed. Again, that makes no sense, since with Devers on board, the Giants ended up with a disappointing .500 record. Why wouldn’t ownership try to improve the team around their prize acquisition? Especially since his presence was blocking Eldridge, their top prospect?
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It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Giants ownership was saving money with an eye toward next season’s probable work stoppage. In which case, isn’t that more reason to tear things down and move toward a rebuild? The Giants have a high draft pick at No. 4 — and are hoping for a shot at UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. They’ve restocked the farm system. Shouldn’t they just lean in?
The oddest thing about the unraveling season is that the biggest problem is not the one everyone expected. Sure, manager Tony Vitello could do some things better, particularly in terms of when to sit players. And, yes, the fire that he was expected to bring hasn’t exactly materialized. But most of Vitello’s problems are a consequence of the team that he was handed.
Bullpen management is one of the hardest things for any major league manager. So to expect Vitello to succeed with a bullpen without defined roles seems insane.
An untested manager would seem to have the best chance with either an entirely developmental team that is growing into itself, or a veteran team with well-defined roles and a plug-and-play roster.
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The Giants are neither. They are, frankly, a mess. A bad baseball team.
The question is: Where do they go from here?