HALFWAY THERE
Giants: Next 2 weeks before trade deadline may determine season
The pain of the aftermath is still fresh in the minds of Giants fans who are quick to point out it’s too soon to celebrate the 2021 club’s success.
These are the same fans who watched the 2016 Giants pull into the All-Star break with a major leaguebest 57-33 record and held the belief that “even-year magic” was still very much alive along the waterfront at China Basin.
That’s when the downfall began. A Giants team that held a 6 1/2game lead in the National League West entering the Midsummer Classic collapsed in epic fashion. The bullpen imploded, the feel-good story of third baseman Matt Duffy ended with a trade to Tampa Bay and a franchise
that had enjoyed nearly a quarter-century of continuity in the front office was soon headed for a shakeup.
A disastrous 30-43 second half nearly locked the Giants out of the postseason altogether, but ace Madison Bumgarner dominated the NL wild-card game against the Mets and gave the club a chance to beat the eventual World Series champion Chicago Cubs before the meltdown continued.
Nothing was ever the same after 2016.
Fans watched the club overhaul its front office, wave goodbye to a beloved manager and saw the greatest postseason performer of a generation walk away in free agency.
So forgive the folks who want to see more from a 5732 Giants club that shocked the baseball world with a remarkable first-half run.
The 2016 team also entered the break on a fourgame win streak, had Bumgarner pitch the last game of the first half and the first game of the second half, just as current ace Kevin Gausman is set up to do. Bruce Bochy’s 2016 club came out of the break and lost six in a row, setting the tone for a disastrous finish.
With a smaller edge in the standings, the 2021 Giants know any slips in St. Louis against a Cardinals team that’s already taken a series from them this month could cost them the first-place label they’ve happily held since May 31. And even if they survive a trip to Busch Stadium, the Giants head to Los Angeles for four games against a second-place Dodgers club that’s taken six of nine from San Francisco this season.
Thirty-nine of the Giants’ 73 games come against teams that are currently in position to make the playoffs, and nine of those will take place between the AllStar break and the July 30 trade deadline. Even without the type of bullpen blowups Giants fans witnessed in 2016, any minor regression in the team’s play could lead to a major regression in the standings.
The next two weeks have the potential to define the second half of the season for the Giants, and the schedule is hardly the only reason. With Buster Posey, Tommy La Stella, Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria, Aaron Sanchez and Sammy Long all likely to be available before the July 30 deadline, the Giants will face a roster crunch and the challenge of easing several veteran players who haven’t played in more than a month back into action.
As long as Posey’s left thumb contusion has healed, his return will be easy for the Giants to manage as they can option Chadwick Tromp to TripleA Sacramento.
Handling the roster moves and playing time debates when others rejoin the roster may not be as smooth for manager Gabe Kapler. La Stella’s return will likely push rookie Jason Vosler back to the minors, and Longoria’s comeback may force another Triple-A stint for utilityman Thairo Estrada.
What happens when Belt and Sanchez come back? Will LaMonte Wade Jr. go back to Triple-A after establishing himself as a regular leadoff hitter against righthanded pitchers? Will Sanchez push Logan Webb, who seems to have turned a corner with his command, from the rotation to the bullpen? And how will the Giants find room for Long, a lefthander with limited MLB experience but the type of fastball-curveball combination that could make him a solid multi-inning reliever down the stretch?
These are the pressing questions the Giants have to answer, and they’ll be doing so with the final opportunity to make significant external upgrades to the roster rapidly approaching. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said having enough starting pitching to cover innings in August and September is a concern and it’s not as if the team has fill-ins capable of replacing Gausman or Anthony DeSclafani in an emergency.
Aside from addressing the Giants’ starting pitching depth, Zaidi may also be tempted to round out the roster with another powerhitting outfielder, considering neither Austin Slater nor Alex Dickerson has provided the type of consistent production the club received from each last season. Adding an additional veteran reliever, one who can take down multiple innings or ease the load on Dominic Leone, Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee at the end of games, is likely on Zaidi’s mind too.
A daunting schedule, an ever-changing roster and the looming trade deadline all add up to an action-packed two weeks that could ultimately make or break the Giants’ chances of winning the NL West. As the All-Star break comes to an end, the pressure is back on.
GIANTS EXEC, FORMER MAJOR LEAGUER TIDROW DIES AT 74 >> Dick Tidrow, who spent 28 years in the Giants front office after a successful 13-year major league pitching career, passed away unexpectedly in Lee’s Summit, Mo., on Saturday, the team announced. Tidrow was 74.
“Our entire organization is heartbroken by the news of Dick’s passing,” said Giants president and CEO Larry Baer. “So much of our success over these past three decades is directly linked to Dick’s contributions. He will be truly missed by all of us and our thoughts are with Mari Jo and his entire family during this difficult time.”
Tidrow, who had a number of titles during his Giants tenure, was the Giants’ senior advisor to the president of baseball operations.
Tidrow, a former Hayward star at Mt. Eden High and Chabot College, was the American League rookie pitcher of the year in 1972. He also won two World Series titles with the Yankees in 1977 and ’78. Tidrow also pitched for the Cubs, White Sox and Mets and had a career record of 100-94 with 55 saves and a 3.68 ERA.
He is survived by his wife, Mari Jo, three children — Andy, Matt and Richelle, and his grandchild, Trista.