SAN DIEGO — The last hour before the deadline was about as manic as it gets for teams trying to make the postseason in the National League. The Dodgers traded for Brian Dozier and John Axford. The Diamondbacks added two good pitchers to their bullpen. The Braves acquired Kevin Gausman. The Pirates, of all teams, swooped in for Chris Archer.
The Giants? Well, they simply prepared for an afternoon baseball game at Petco Park.
For the first time in five years, the Giants did not make a move at the trade deadline. They did not buy and they did not sell, opting to stand pat and hope this roster can get hot. If that doesn’t happen, they intend to be busy during the August waiver period and continue to evaluate the group they have put together.
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Vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean said the front office spent most of the time before the deadline trying to add controllable players, particularly starting pitchers. He said the Giants were willing to be “strategic buyers” or “strategic sellers” but ultimately found nothing compelling on the market. The Giants were not in on players who will be free agents this offseason.
“As Bobby (Evans) and his staff fielded calls, it became apparent that we weren’t going to gut the farm system and overpay,” Sabean said.
Sabean said there was a “fair amount” of interest in players on the roster, but the Giants never appeared close to a deal of any kind in recent weeks. They simply didn’t have room under the tax line to make additions without first selling, and after the Cory Gearrin-Austin Jackson trade, there wasn’t much salary they could dump. Sam Dyson was one option, but there never appeared to be significant interest in the right-hander making more than $4 million this year.
The Giants also found little opportunity to adequately sell. Some teams sniffed around on Andrew McCutchen, but interest in the right fielder was said to be lukewarm, per sources. McCutchen was in the lineup as the leadoff hitter Tuesday. Will Smith was a popular target, but the Giants never intended to trade a closer they have under team control through next season. Some teams checked on Tony Watson, but it apparently never got serious.
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The Giants still could make several moves in August as players clear waivers, but for now they are focused on trying to get back into the race. They entered deadline day 5 1/2 games out of first, with the Rockies and Diamondbacks also a fair distance ahead. Sabean said he hopes the clubhouse responds positively to the lack of a breakup.
“We hope we can get a bounce,” he said. “We invested a lot in this group and believe in this group. Maybe we do get a bounce from this. I hope (after the trade deadline) it takes some pressure off.”
That might be true, but the Giants also now face a tougher task. The Dodgers picked up two veterans to address weaknesses. The Diamondbacks added Brad Ziegler and Jake Diekman to what already was a good bullpen. The Rockies were quiet Tuesday, but they picked up Seaunghwan Oh last week to help their bullpen. Sabean said his roster has enough talent, experience and youthful exuberance to compete with all three teams.
“It’s not how good you are, it’s how well you play,” he said. “We’ll take our chances.”