MLB Insider Reports San Francisco Giants Are Unsure of Deadline Plans

The San Francisco Giants are keeping things close to vest ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline as not even a plugged-in insider knows what they will do.

Jul 21, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval (75) and catcher Patrick Bailey (14) celebrate defeating the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants are a team that everyone is keeping an eye on. That is because everyone, from MLB insiders to fans of the team, has no idea what to expect in the week leading up to the trade deadline.

Things haven’t gone according to plan thus far for the Giants. They are 48-53, but even five games under the .500 mark still have them in the hunt for a playoff spot in the National League.

Entering action on Tuesday, San Francisco was only four games behind the New York Mets for the final Wild Card spot. Alas, there are four teams ahead of the Giants in the NL logjam, and they are tied with the Cincinnati Reds. The Washington Nationals loom only a half-game behind them.

According to MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN, San Francisco can be viewed as Switzerland-esque ahead of the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline; neutral, not leaning one way or another.

"Speaking of, the Giants have yet to indicate to other teams that they're ready to give up on this year ... San Francisco looks the part of a team that should be better than its record indicates ... Compound that with the urgency spurred by their mediocrity over the past two years and their free agent spending spree over the winter, and it all indicates that unless this week veers off problematically, the Giants won't be subtracting, but they aren't likely to add much, either," he wrote.

No one would fault the Giants for staying pat at the deadline. Some positive regression to the mean could certainly be on the horizon, as they have a few pieces playing at a very high level.

Getting Robbie Ray and Alex Cobb back in the rotation gives them a strong stable of starting pitchers. Along with ace Logan Webb, Blake Snell, Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, San Francisco has the pitching to stick in this race.

Lineup-wise, we have seen what Matt Chapman, Michael Conforto and Jorge Soler can do when healthy. The front office hoping cold bats heat up is likelier to happen than the Giants cobbling together enough salaries to get under the luxury tax threshold.

As Passan noted, the spending spree last winter also puts them in a tough spot. Their plan laid out in the offseason hasn’t even had a chance to come to fruition.

Strong arguments can be made to go in either direction, whether it is to sell or buy, even marginally. But, unless something out of the ordinary occurs between now and the MLB Trade Deadline on July 30th, it sounds this deadline will be a quiet one in San Francisco.