A look at the standings in any given MLB season in recent years shows the San Francisco Giants flirting with playoff contention. The Giants held a playoff spot at the All-Star break last season and were within a game of the National League's last wild card spot entering the second half in 2022.
San Francisco failed to finish either season with a winning record, which the Giants have done only twice since winning the 2014 World Series. Fans in the Bay Area know all too well not to get their hopes up for a second-half resurgence. This season feels no different.
The Giants will return to action on Friday with a 47-50 record, three games out of a playoff spot and nine games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. One good week could push the Giants into a playoff position, but that's the case for half the National League. Eight teams are separated by four games in a chase for two wild-card berths.
The front office had optimism for this season after a busy winter but the product on the field hasn’t flourished. President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi wants the players to prove the Giants belong in the playoff conversation.
“Overall it's been a real disappointment,” Zaidi said on July 11, per KNBR Radio. “We pushed a lot of chips in with this team. We need the players to show what the right direction is for us. If we keep playing like we did for the last 5 days, we're going to have to think about selling and seeing some younger players”
The Giants are getting healthier and a series win before the break might be just what they need to right the ship. Perhaps adding outside reinforcements via the MLB trade deadline will help too.
Griffin Canning, RHP, Angels
The amount of starting pitcher injuries the Giants have dealt with this year is baffling. San Francisco trotted out 13 different pitchers to the mound to start a game in the first half. Getting players back from injury has helped but the Giants need pitchers who can eat innings and keep the bullpen fresh.
The Giants aren’t going to be in on the top-tier arms available on the trade market. Realistically, they'll look to the veteran market in hopes of finding 10-12 solid starts from a player they don’t have to give too much for.
The Los Angeles Angels have several pitchers who offer value and should be open for business. Tyler Anderson will be the one LA is fielding calls for the most, but the Giants or another team looking for a backend rotation arm should inquire about Griffin Canning.
The 28-year-old righty doesn’t have stats that jump off the page, but the fact that he's remained healthy this season is a good sign. Canning missed all of 2022 with a back injury and was limited to 24 appearances (22 starts) last year.
He hasn’t missed a start this season and is on course to set a career-high in innings. Canning is 3-9 with a 4.84 ERA across 102 1/3 innings. He's thrown at least five innings in 15 of his 19 starts, five of which were quality starts. His strikeout numbers are way down from 2023, a suggestion that a few tweaks could help Canning return to putting batters away.
Under team control through next season, the Giants could view Canning as a development project over the offseason after they see what he can do with a change of scenery in 2024.
Michael Lorenzen, RHP, Rangers
Sticking with the veteran starting pitcher market for a right-handed thrower who's found much more success than Griffin Canning this season. Michael Lorenzen has pitched exceptionally well for the Texas Rangers, but the defending champions are barely keeping afloat in the American League playoff picture and could sell off some pieces.
Even with an 8-4 start in July, the Rangers are 7 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and have a worse record than the Giants. Although many are sidelined by injury, Texas has an abundance of starting pitching and can afford to collect some prospect capital for a 32-year-old on a one-year deal.
Lorenzen isn’t having a traditional “career year” in the sense that he's in the Cy Young race, but he is putting up some of his best numbers as a starter in year 10. Lorenzen is 5-5 with a 3.52 ERA. Half of his 16 starts were quality starts.
He's been every kind of pitcher throughout his MLB career and Lorenzen is out to prove he is worthy of a multi-year deal in free agency next winter. He was moved at the trade deadline last season and tossed a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies. Maybe the same fate can follow Michael Lorenzen this year and he can put a stamp on a great 2024 season by delivering quality innings for the Giants.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, UTIL, Blue Jays
We shift to a position player having a breakout season of sorts, Toronto Blue Jays utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa. After a forgetful two-year tenure with the Yankees, Kiner-Falefa inked a two-year contract with Toronto and has become a viable starter with flexibility in the field.
IKF carries a .292/.338/.420 slash line through three months and has added some pop with seven home runs and eight doubles. He should set a career-high in batting average, OPS and home runs while continuing to play exceptional defense at shortstop, second base and third base. He has not played in July due to a knee sprain but is eligible to come off the injured list this week.
The Blue Jays haven’t provided much of an update on Kiner-Falefa, but if he's able to return within the next two weeks he could become available. Toronto might be one of the most aggressive sellers at the trade deadline, welcoming any offers for players with value.
Kiner-Falefa is a player with value at the moment and the Giants need to upgrade their infield. Nick Ahmed was not cutting it as a shortstop and got released right before the All-Star break. Rookie Brett Wisely is getting a look at short but San Fran could still use more reliable depth.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa fits the profile of reliability this season and isn’t a free agent until 2026. The Giants are looking for a Brandon Crawford replacement. IKF can serve as a bridge to their next long-term guy at short – presumably Marco Luciano – or be a super utilityman for San Francisco.
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