Winners, losers for Giants, A’s and the league

Three strikes per at-bat, three outs per inning, three divisions per league and three San Francisco Giants homegrown rookies who will help determine whether the Major League Baseball playoffs will come to the Bay Area in 2023.

It’s the sport of trifectas, and while wondering how Oakland could lose three pro sports team in five years, we provide some other threes to consider on the eve of the All-Star break:

Three teams that aren’t as lousy as we expected

Reds: Every franchise wishes it could be blessed with a do-itall, 21-year-old such as Elly De La Cruz, who’s so influential to a rejuvenated baseball city that he makes 38-year-old Joey Votto feel “young and hip.” Diamondbacks: Will this last? They’re inexperienced at this contending stuff and aren’t deep in the rotation. But it’s fun to watch the youth and athleticism of Corbin Carroll & Co. prevail and take advantage of the new rules.

Orioles: A cute story in 2022. The real deal in 2023. So cool to see the Rays and Orioles 1-2 in MLB’s deepest division.

Three teams lousier than we expected

Padres: Where have you gone, Manny Machado? Ditto Xander Bogaerts.

Mets: The team with the biggest payroll is the biggest disappointment.

Cardinals: First to worst is rare for this franchise, and there’s something to be said for the leadership of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, now departed.

Three on-field news items

The Giants: Their 10-game winning streak was their longest since 2004, and they immediately went from a .500 team to a legitimate contender. The most unexpected story line is that rookies Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos and Casey Schmitt have participated in the turnaround.

Domingo Germán: The Yankees’ right-hander became just the 24th pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game, and it was fitting that the victims were the A’s. As in, what else could go wrong for the Eastsiders this year?

The new rules: They’re working. The pace is better. The shifts are gone for the most part, so batting averages are up. The running game is back, and we’re still bummed Oakland’s Esteury Ruiz isn’t an All-Star.

Three off-field news items

The A’s: In the worst season in franchise history, they’re on parallel paths — a one-way ticket to Las Vegas and a date with doom, otherwise known as the 1962 Mets.

The Giants: They didn’t sign Aaron Judge or Carlos Correa, offering a total of $710 million to the two free agents, and it might turn out to be good news. Judge hit 19 homers in 49 games but has been on the injured list for a month with a toe injury that likely will require postseason surgery, and Correa is a double-play machine (as a hitter, not a fielder) while batting in the low .200s.

Rest in peace: Vida Blue and Roger Craig, two of the most impactful baseball personalities in Bay Area sports history. Three feel-good stories

The reverse boycott: The box score showed 27,759 fans piled into the Coliseum, the A’s largest crowd of the season (many more either arrived after attendance was announced or Uturned because they couldn’t get into the parking lot) for the fan protest against ownership that demonstrated the fans’ loyalty and hinted of what could have been.

Liam Hendriks: He was well liked and respected as an A’s reliever, and now he’s an inspiration to the nation after completing the greatest comeback of the year by taking the mound after dealing with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Willie Mays: The Say Hey Kid dropped by 24 Willie Mays Plaza on his 92nd birthday, and all was right with the world.

Three feel-bad stories

Rob Manfred: The commissioner offered a condescending reaction to the reverse boycott at the Coliseum.

Mike Trout: C’mon, man! A broken hand will shelve the decorated outfielder a month or two, and that’s bad not only for the Angels but bad for baseball.

Edwin Díaz: The season ended for the Mets’ closer before it started when he blew out his knee while celebrating Puerto Rico’s win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, one reason for the Mets’ demise. Fortunately for the Díaz family, kid brother Alexis — who broke down in tears as Edwin was taken off the field — has emerged as one of the dominant closers in the game, a reason for the Reds’ resurgence.

Three players who need to be traded

Shohei Ohtani: With Trout out, the Angels’ chances of missing the playoffs heightens. No way Ohtani believes the Angels will ever be a postseason regular, and he wants to take his two-way talents deep into October. If the Angels are convinced he’ll sign elsewhere as a free agent, they’d be wise to move him at the Aug. 1 trade deadline — or simply just sign him for a mere $700 million. As a game-changer on the mound and in the box, he’d command a bundle even as a two-month rental.

Max Scherzer: He’s doing no good on a team going nowhere, and he’s at the age where waiving his no-trade clause makes perfect sense. Ditto for Justin Verlander. It’s a question of whether Mets owner Steve Cohen would let either go. Marcus Stroman: He’s pitching so well for the Cubs that he’ll undoubtedly exercise his opt-out after the season and enter free agency. The Cubs couldn’t benefit from giving Stroman a qualifying offer that would lead to a compensatory draft pick because he was previously offered one.

Three players who don’t need to be traded

Joey Bart: The Giants have two rookie catchers, Bailey and Blake Sabol, and though Sabol is a dangerous hitter, his defense is lacking. It’s one reason Bart remains a valuable asset in the organization, especially if Sabol one day becomes a third catcher while playing other positions.

Brent Rooker: All-Star to trade bait? That would be tough for the A’s designated hitter/outfielder, whose long, windy journey is taking him into the national spotlight. But it’s the A’s, so it can’t be ruled out.

Juan Soto: The Padres are too rich with talent to break it up, right? Right?

Three early leaders for NL awards

MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr. over Carroll.

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw over Zac Gallen.

Manager of the Year: Cincinnati’s David Bell over Arizona’s Torey Lovullo.

Three early leaders for AL awards

MVP: Ohtani over Bo Bichette.

Cy Young: Nathan Eovaldi over Ohtani.

Manager of the Year: Texas’ Bruce Bochy over Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash.