San Francisco Giants: Time to make the tough calls

With the San Francisco Giants out of the postseason picture, reality needs to set in for management, who need to swallow their pride, and make decisions in the offseason.

A cold truth came when the San Francisco Giants finally gave Barry Bonds a long overdue recognition with his jersey retirement ceremony. As painful for many to see the Giants part ways with the home run king, the franchise needed to turn in a different direction and start from scratch.

Ultimately, the move paid off after a few lean seasons of developing from within. The year 2010 saw the first of three championships arrive in San Francisco. Even-year magic became nostalgia, with titles coming in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

Now, the magic is just a memory with a faint flicker of hope the team will somehow find a way to re-ignite the spark. As September nears, the Giants do not have enough to make a run in the NL West.

San Francisco Giants

The series over the weekend against Texas sums up how the San Francisco’s season has gone. Dereck Rodriguez pitched brilliantly, going six innings, while allowing two runs off three hits. Rodriguez is 6-1 this season — and realistically, should have a few more wins but saw late leads get blown.

Rodriguez would get a no-decision in that game against the Rangers, as a 6-0 lead evaporated in the late innings. With two outs in the ninth, a routine grounder off the bat of Shin-Soo Choo got botched by the second baseman, Joe Panik, which proved to be a fatal mistake.

On the next pitch, Rougned Odor launched a two-run shot just inside the right-field foul pole to tie the game. A bases-loaded walk in the tenth became the difference as the Rangers took a 7-6 decision.

San Francisco would take the series, but the way the team squandered a comfortable lead is just one reason this team is going nowhere. The bullpen is better, but not nearly the strength it was during those championship years.

Mark Melancon is a bust. Injuries came with him after he signed a massive deal a year ago, and have yet to live up to the closer role. The Giants can only hope the worst is gone, and will get results from Melancon after choosing to throw money in an area which has not yielded positive results (Armando Benitez).

Inconsistency best describes the current bullpen as Sam Dyson and Will Smith have been shaky in their outings. The Giants have the blueprint in building a solid bullpen. Right now though, the pieces are still missing.

Similar to the Bonds situation, the Giants’ organization sits at a crossroads, by looking ahead to the future. In this case, the time is now to explore the net return in facilitating trades involving Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner.

Posey’s season is over as the starting catcher, with six to eight months needed to rehab from hip surgery. As valuable as Posey is behind the plate, he can longer be the everyday catcher, and needs to be playing first base.

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Some will argue that the last time Posey missed significant time due to injury, saw him capture the NL MVP and a World Series Trophy. That’s true, but the Giants cannot afford to believe a similar result will occur, and should not put more wear and tear on the future Hall of Fame catcher.

Posey must start next season at first base, which means Brandon Belt will go on the trade block. His name surfaces on the rumor mill thanks to his success in past seasons, and could still net a decent return of prospects.

Joey Bart, the Giants’ first-round pick in 2018, appears to be next in line for the starting job. Bart will find his way up to the Giants, which could benefit him if Posey is still around. He may see a call-up next season but is a few years out from joining full time.

With Bumgarner, his recent injuries have kept the Giants’ ace from showing the form opponents feared. Bumgarner could either be locked in or find himself battling to find a rhythm when he cannot find command on his pitches.

Perhaps the Giants’ brass is staying optimistic they can field a lineup that would attract Bryce Harper to San Francisco. Harper is slated for free agency and does not appear to be re-signing with Washington after throwing in the towel for this season.

Stubbornness best describes the decision-making process for the Giants. Andrew McCutchen got put on revocable waivers, but the Giants did not make a trade. As favored as McCutchen is, Bruce Bochy will have decisions in playing time for the outfield.

McCutchen could be on a contender right now, with the Giants at least getting something in return. The team will be unlikely to sign him and explore other options.

Pride is one thing, but to keep winning ways going, means you have to make the tough business decisions. Fans will undoubtedly be angry should Posey or Bumgarner leave. The same happened with Bonds, but the result was fruitful a few years later.

For the Giants, the season is over. And an intriguing offseason is at hand for a team looking to get back into playing October baseball.