"Not good enough. Really frustrating. A level of play that is just not going to be acceptable for us." Those were San Francisco Giants Manager Gabe Kapler's words after the SF Giants got completely overwhelmed by the Dodgers en route to their first four-game sweep vs. their rivals since 1995. The Giants looked like the far inferior team all weekend—and really they've looked inferior to many opponents all season.
Where should the Giants go from here? The NL West race is essentially over before it really started. The Dodgers have a 16.5 game lead over the Giants. But at 48-47, the SF Giants are still just two games back in the NL Wild Card race. Their next seven games are against two of the worst teams in the NL. By the time the Aug. 2 trade deadline comes around, they're likely to be still in the race. FanGraphs has the Giants' playoff odds currently at 38%. Could they add someone like Ramón Laureano, who'd help them in 2022 but also in 2023-25? What about Joey Wendle, who'd be more of a rental but wouldn't cost too much and is a plus defender at second, third, and shortstop?
The Giants' defense continues to be an embarrassment. Yermín Mercedes is miscast in left field, and it showed on Sunday. All season long the Giants have stuck bad defenders all over the diamond and it has cost them seemingly every night. How do they expect it to improve with the likes of Mercedes roaming the outfield against arguably the best team in baseball? There's a case to be made that the Giants should sell at the deadline, but ultimately the Giants' position in the standings warrants an attempt at salvaging this season. But it's increasingly clear that they must upgrade their defense or they likely won't be playing in October. The Giants need major changes and their last chance to do anything significant is just over a week away.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
Follow Ben Kaspick on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the San Francisco Giants and talking with fans.
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