Giants’ deadline chaos reflects in-stride vision
PHILADELPHIA — On the most important day of Zaidi’s first year in San Francisco, Zaidi proved he was a man of his word.
With a flurry of deals that came together in the minutes leading up to Wednesday’s 1 p.m. trade deadline, the Giants worked creatively to remain in contention for a 2019 playoff spot while building depth to make the franchise more competitive in the future.
Zaidi continued to remain in contact with clubs interested in acquiring the services of Madison Bumgarner on Wednesday, but as the clock ticked past 4 p.m. local time in Philadelphia, Bumgarner stood in the weight room at Citizens Bank Park and realized he’d be given the chance to finish the season with the Giants.
“I never expected to be somewhere else until that happened,” Bumgarner said. “Nothing has changed for me.”
The personnel changed dramatically on Wednesday, but the Giants’ vision for the 2019 season did not. Despite subtracting three major league relievers — Sam Dyson, Mark Melancon and Drew Pomeranz — in separate trades, Zaidi believes that by retaining Bumgarner, the Giants will have an opportunity to se
cure a playoff spot.
“When he’s on your side, you always feel like you have a chance,” Zaidi said.
The Giants entered the month of July with one of baseball’s best bullpens and rode their relievers to an 18-6 record leading up to the trade deadline. Dyson, Melancon and Pomeranz all thrived in their respective roles, particularly after the All-Star break, but the Giants determined they could acquire critical depth for the future and gambled on filling their bullpen with capable replacements from within.
“It’s not easy for these guys to say goodbye to good teammates,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “You’re happy for them, they’re going to good spots, and they’ll help those teams. They helped us gain a lot of ground in the standings and we’ll miss them.”
The Giants activated pitchers Dereck Rodríguez, Andrew Suárez and Jandel Gustave prior to Wednesday’s game, but TripleA lefty Sam Selman could also be in line for a promotion in the near future.
Outside of welcoming new relievers, the Giants are preparing to add infielder Scooter Gennett after the Reds sent him to San Francisco in exchange for a player to be named later. Gennett is expected to join the club Friday in Denver, but both Zaidi and Bochy indicated they’ll have a tough roster decision to make that could have implications for long-time starter Joe Panik.
“I spoke briefly with Joe Panik about 45 minutes ago and just said, “It’s day-to-day right now and I’ll get with you to tell you exactly what our plan is,’ “Bochy said prior to Wednesday’s game.
Gennett is one of eight players the Giants acquired Wednesday, but the 29-year-old infielder and 2018 All-Star is the only one who will join the major league roster. All others will report to various Giants affiliates within a farm system that received a welcome infusion of depth.
Pomeranz was the first Giants player informed of a trade Wednesday as he played catch on the field at Citizens Bank Park in the early afternoon before he and minor league reliever Ray Black were dealt to Milwaukee in exchange for Brewers infield prospect Mauricio Dubon.
Dubon, a middle infielder and native of Honduras, was the third-ranked prospect in the Brewers’ farm system according to MLB.com and attended high school at Capital Christian in Sacramento. The right-handed hitter was a 26th round draft choice of the Red Sox in 2013 and made his major league debut earlier this season, going 0-for-2 in a brief stint before returning to Triple-A.
“He’s hopefully a piece of the long-term puzzle,” Zaidi said. “He’s a guy with Bay Area roots, which is very attractive to us. The ability to play both spots in the middle of the infield, second and short, he’s played some outfield as well in center field and he’s a good enough athlete to do that.”
Melancon was the second Giants pitcher alerted of a deal, as Zaidi reached out to the veteran right-hander about two hours before Wednesday’s trade deadline to ask if he would consider waiving his full no-trade clause and accept a trade to the Atlanta Braves.
Melancon signed a four-year, $62 million deal to serve as the Giants’ closer in December 2016, but dealt with significant injury issues and only saved 15 games in two-plus years with the team. The right-hander expressed his appreciation for the Giants and called the franchise a “first-class organization” but characterized his onfield tenure as disappointing.