San Francisco Giants: Did Brian Sabean make the right decision following the trade deadline?

Apr 1, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean attends the 2013 season-opening game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The trade deadline came and went, but the San Francisco Giants’ roster is still intact. Brian Sabean has decided not to make any changes to the struggling team in hopes of gaining momentum in the final two months of the season, but was this the right decision?

Sabean explained that they never got close to making a deal, mainly because they haven’t received any enticing offers in return.

“We were in a position to have some leverage and we used the leverage,” Sabean said. “We set the bar high and had specific returns in mind. People missed the mark — people didn’t even approach or get close to the mark. That was frustrating if not almost embarrassing that they would say they had interest, but in fact it would come back as marginal or less than marginal interest.”

Both Sabean and Pence were “pleased with the outcome”. Pence has apparently informed the Giants that he does not want to be traded and hopes to resign for 2013. Sabean wasn’t interested in tweaking the roster unless he received prospects significantly greater than the first-round compensatory picks he would receive if Pence, Lincecum or Lopez left via free agency. The right offer never presented itself and they will remain Giants’ for the remainder of the season. Now, Sabean’s main goal is to retain the three players, and possibly engage in season extension talks with the future free agents.

“We’re dealing with three free agents that we want to-resign,” Sabean said.

While the possibility of losing Lopez would be a huge loss for the Giants, fans should trust Sabean with the decisions he’s made. Perhaps he feels he has a good chance of signing Lopez, otherwise he would most likely have been dealt. Perhaps trading no one would turn out to be the right move. The Giants certainly took a risk in holding on to three players who could potentially leave during the off-season, but Sabean has proven to be a trusted general manager as he put together the 2010 and 2012 championship roster.The Giants are currently 13 games under .500 and  have a chance to check out some of their young prospects.He certainly took a gamble, but the reward would be worth it if all three players remain with the Giants for the upcoming season, enhancing the team’s chances of making a solid run in 2014.