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Lack of blockbuster moves shows Giants are not an overnight fix

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Over the past decade, the San Francisco Giants have used the July 31 trade deadline to add to an already established core, and supplement near-complete rosters that could use an extra push to make a deep playoff run.

In 2010, general manager Brian Sabean acquired versatile relievers Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez to stabilize the Giants’ bullpen, and a team that was 1.5 games out of first-place at the trade deadline won the World Series. In 2012, San Francisco traded for outfielder Hunter Pence, who brought his marquee bat to AT&T Park and proceeded to lead the Giants to their second title in three years. Aside from Pence, the Giants also snagged infielder Marco Scutaro, who hit a remarkable .362 down the stretch in an otherworldly display of consistency. In 2014, Sabean sought out right-hander Jake Peavy from the Boston Red Sox, and Peavy recorded a 2.17 earned run average in 12 starts to aid San Francisco on its way to a third title in five seasons.

Even in years that didn’t end with manager Bruce Bochy hoisting a World Series trophy, the Giants were active in the days and hours leading up to the trade deadline. In 2011, the Giants snagged Carlos Beltran from the Mets and Jeff Keppinger from the Astros, while in 2016, general manager Bobby Evans dealt for left-hander Matt Moore and third baseman Eduardo Nunez.

This year, though, the Giants were uncharacteristically quiet at the trade deadline, in part because for the first time in recent memory, San Francisco isn’t remotely close to playoff contention. After a weekend sweep in Los Angeles against the hottest team in the universe, the Giants are now a mind-numbing 34.5 games out of first place, and trending toward their first 100-loss season since 1985.

Keep in mind, this is a Giants team that gave the Chicago Cubs a serious battle in the NLDS last season, and entered the 2017 season with visions of competing with the Dodgers for a National League West title. The Giants had reason to believe, too, because for the most part, Evans kept a roster intact that won a Major League-best 59 games prior to the 2016 All-Star break.

So when the trade deadline came and went on Monday afternoon, not with a bang, but with a whimper, it felt as if the Giants’ world could be ending.

After ace Madison Bumgarner threw seven shutout innings against the Dodgers on Sunday night in the Giants’ 3-2 11-inning loss, Bumgarner was asked if the Dodgers’ run this summer looks similar to what the Giants accomplished during their early-decade domination.

“We’re a long way from the World Series,” Bumgarner said.

The Giants are just three full seasons removed from Bumgarner’s heroic MVP performance against Kansas City in the 2014 World Series, but on Sunday night, his words were far from hollow. The face of the Giants’ pitching staff, and one of the two pillars of the franchise along with catcher Buster Posey, was speaking cold, hard truth.

For the Giants to return to the heights they soared to in the early 2010s, San Francisco will first need to find a way to conquer its own issues internally, before taking on their National League counterparts. If the Giants believe their current core is capable of having their rings sized yet again, then the Giants won’t just need to beat the Cubs or the Nationals, they’ll need to find a way to overcome a Dodgers’ team budding with young talent and some of the game’s brightest stars.

While Los Angeles earned a series sweep on the shoulders of 23-year-old Corey Seager and 22-year-old Cody Bellinger, the Giants lost the series behind a lineup that scored seven runs in three games. As the Dodgers were busy producing their league-leading ninth walkoff win of the season on Sunday night, the Giants were busy falling a season-high 26 games below .500.

“Everything is going right for them,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “It’s just the opposite for us.”

For the Giants to eventually work their way back onto the radar of the Dodgers, the most prolific team since a 2001 Seattle Mariners squad that won a MLB-record 116 games, Evans and the rest of San Francisco’s front office may need to consider a philosophical shift within the organization. That type of undertaking can’t be accomplished overnight, and that’s why the Giants’ inactivity at the trade deadline shouldn’t come as a significant surprise.

Even though it behooves most failing clubs to turn into trade deadline sellers, this year’s market was ripe for buyers. Could San Francisco have commanded top prospects in return for starting pitchers like Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija? At this time of the year, and with those contracts, no. Would trading Hunter Pence or Denard Span have proved productive for a Giants’ team that doesn’t have immediate outfield help waiting in the wings? Perhaps, but San Francisco didn’t need to dump salaries in July. Should Evans have flipped relievers like Hunter Strickland or Sam Dyson for a high-upside prospect or two? Maybe, but this year, it’s unlikely San Francisco would have received a future difference-maker from a contending club.

With the stunning nature of the Giants’ rapid demise, San Francisco isn’t one, two or even three moves away from rising back into contention in a top-heavy National League. Instead, the Giants’ issues are deeply rooted, and will take careful consideration, analysis and spending to solve. Simply put, Evans and his team have minimal room for error.

At this juncture in time, wholesale changes at the trade deadline would have felt rushed and panicky, whereas waiting until the offseason to begin massaging the roster’s knots will allow San Francisco’s front office more flexibility. Though quick trade deadline flips could have helped the Giants kick start their campaign to contend in the future, waiting until the winter months to reshape San Francisco’s roster will give the franchise more options, more potential trade partners and most of all, more time.

When the Giants were at their best, trade deadline transactions allowed San Francisco to add the finishing touches on an award-winning model. This year, San Francisco is at its worst, and the trade deadline is just a subtle reminder that in the coming months, major changes to their current model are necessary.

In the past, the trade deadline marked the final opportunity for the Giants to stock up in preparation for external battles against the likes of juggernauts like the Cubs, Nationals and Dodgers. But now, the Giants’ battles are all internal, and short-term fixes won’t work. For the Giants to compete again, it will take long-term vision and high-level execution, and this year, that vision and that execution won’t begin overnight.