What happens if the Giants decide not to sell at the trade deadline?

DENVER — Fast forward to Tuesday, Oct. 1.

The Giants have just finished off one of the best second halves in team history and secured one of the National League’s two Wild Card playoff berths.

As they prepare to take the field, Madison Bumgarner is warming up in one bullpen. Johnny Cueto is warming up in the other.

It’s a potential nightmare scenario for the Giants and up until three weeks ago, facing Bumgarner with the season on the line was wildly unrealistic. It’s long been assumed that one of the greatest postseason pitchers in modern baseball will be traded ahead of the July 31 deadline, but the Giants’ sudden surge up the standings is likely giving the front office second thoughts.

With a 45-49 record, the Giants still have a challenging task on their hands if they hope to stay relevant in the postseason conversation. However, thanks to an 11-3 stretch over their last 14 games and a 23-15 record since June 1, the Giants have entered a discussion they once had no business joining.

“The vibe, you can feel the mojo with these guys,” manager Bruce Bochy said Monday. “They’re having a lot of fun right now which winning brings and success. Getting timely hits, we’ve had a lot of hits with runners in scoring position.”

On the day before the All-Star break, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said that if the club continues a recent hot streak, many of the narratives existing around what the organization will do at the trade deadline might disappear.

Since the break ended, the Giants have won four of five games, picked up two games in the Wild Card standings and passed two hopefuls, the Pirates and the Reds.

“We’ve played long enough to understand that when things like this start happening, you sit back and enjoy them and try to keep them going as long as you can,” pitcher Jeff Samardzija said.

It’s too soon to know whether the Giants will regress and give Zaidi an easy choice to “sell” at this year’s deadline. But given the surprising success the club has enjoyed over the last six weeks, it’s fair to wonder what would happen if the Giants decide to keep many of their most desirable trade chips.

Outside of Bumgarner, relievers Will Smith and Sam Dyson are among the most attractive potential additions for contending clubs in need of bullpen help. Young arms like Trevor Gott and Reyes Moronta will attract interest while Samardzija, a veteran with another year left on a hefty contract, could be pitching his way into trade talks after posting a 1.66 ERA in his first three July starts.

If the Giants determine selling isn’t in the best interest for their clubhouse, their retiring manager and their fans, “buying” isn’t the alternative path this front office will choose. San Francisco is in the midst of rebuilding its farm system and won’t part with any prospects who have the potential to be high-impact contributors in the major leagues.

A reluctance to sell and an unwillingness to buy could mean that Zaidi will target more balanced strategic moves. The Giants could still flip a reliever like Smith or Dyson, but they would want a return that includes a player who can help the big league club immediately.

Trading from an area of strength like the bullpen would allow San Francisco to address depth issues in the outfield, infield and potentially even the rotation. Fortunately for Zaidi, the Giants suddenly look like one of the most complete teams in the National League.