Writer Has Bleak Outlook for San Francisco Giants to Make MLB Postseason

An MLB writer isn't high on the San Francisco Giants' odds of making the MLB playoffs this season.

Aug 11, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) and left fielder Michael Conforto (8) as a call is reviewed against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB playoff races look like they are going to go right down to the wire. One of the teams who have forced themselves into the mix in the National League is the San Francisco Giants.

Two weeks ago, right ahead of the MLB trade deadline, the Giants’ season was on the brink of extinction. Six games under the .500 mark, they had a huge decision to make; would they be buyers or sellers?

They didn’t lean heavily into either role. Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson ended up with the Atlanta Braves, while Alex Cobb was traded to the Cleveland Guardians.

Mark Canha was acquired right before the deadline buzzer sounded from the Detroit Tigers. The biggest decision was not trading Blake Snell, who has found his form after a poor start.

Based on how the team has performed since then, ownership and the front office made the right decision to stay pat. San Francisco has been one of the hottest teams in baseball, winning 12 out of their last 15 games against a favorable schedule.

Now 61-59 and only 1.5 games out of a wild card spot, the Giants are right in the thick of the playoff race. The St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Braves are right ahead of them.

With San Francisco be able to overcome the competition? Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report doesn’t believe that it will happen.

In a recent article, he shared whether every fringe playoff team should be bought or buried. Unlike the rest of their NL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, who Miller bought, the Giants were buried.

“Forced to pick a lane right now, though, with six games remaining against each of Arizona, San Diego and Milwaukee, it's not looking great. They've done enough to beat up on basement dwellers in recent weeks, but good luck once the schedule intensifies,” Miller wrote.

In addition to those 18 games, San Francisco has an incredibly important four-game series against the Braves this week. If they go 3-1, they could find themselves in a playoff spot by the time the weekend rolls around.

While their schedule presents a lot of obstacles, it also gives the Giants a chance to cement their place in the standings. If they finish with a record of at least .500 against the other NL playoff contenders, it could be a clean sweep for the NL West in the wild card race.