San Francisco Giants Are 'Open for Business'
From perennial contenders in the National League (NL) West to the bottom of the division, that has been the story of the San Francisco Giants' season so far.
The team had captured the imagination of the baseball world by winning three World Series titles in the last seven years, but this time, they aren't expected to make any noise in the postseason.
The Giants have entered the All-Star break with a 34–56 win-loss record, 27 games behind the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers. And with the team highly unlikely to make the playoffs, they may have to take on an unfamiliar role as sellers at the trade deadline.
In a recent interview with the Mercury News, Giants vice president Brian Sabean admitted that they are "open for business." However, fans will have to remember that they are not a rebuilding team, so don't expect them to dismantle the team to acquire prospects that aren't ready for the big leagues.
"The Giants are not your typical seller in that they are less interested in acquiring low-level prospects as much as major league ready players or youngsters on the brink of being called up. And unless they get those kinds of players in return, they are not eager to pay down money just to get rid of core pieces signed to multiyear deals like Hunter Pence, Denard Span, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Moore, Brandon Belt or Johnny Cueto," Andrew Baggarly said in his report for the Mercury News.
During the interview, Sabean also hinted that Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Brandon Crawford are unlikely to get traded. Well, that makes sense since they are the clubs best players.
This is a lost season for the Giants in terms of contending for a playoff spot, but they will be back for another run next season.