The Giants enter the break in a decent spot, and Bret Boone thinks the organization owes it to the players to go for it.
It’s been a roller coaster of a few years for San Francisco, which went from 107 wins in 2021 to 81 last season. Now, they sit at 49-41, good for the final wild card spot in the National League. The Giants are only 2.5 games back of the division lead, and barring a huge turnaround from the Padres, it should be a three-team race with the Diamondbacks and Dodgers for the West title.
This comes on the heels of an offseason where the Giants tried to swing big with Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, only to come up empty-handed. The trade deadline is just a few weeks away, and only a few teams are really locked into the buyer or seller category at this juncture.
But when August 1 rolls around, Boone said on 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" he thinks the Giants should be buying.
“Some of the greatest times are when you know that guy upstairs, the owner, ownership, has got your back,” the former big leaguer and host of Audacy’s “The Bret Boone Podcast” said Monday. “When they’re trying to give you the best chance to win, I can’t tell you what that does psychologically for the guys in that clubhouse.
“For me, it’s a no-brainer. I think you summed it up perfectly when you said opportunities don’t come along that often. I think they see a vulnerable position, I think they see a division that is gettable and they're right in the mix. As of right now they’re in the playoffs. …
“I think if you’ve got an opportunity, and this is an opportunity, you have to seek it. You have to be a buyer if you’re the San Francisco Giants”
A potential problem is that there is shaping up to be way more buyers than sellers. The expanded playoffs keeps a lot of teams in the hunt into August, and only a few teams – like the A’s, Rockies and Royals – are sure sellers, but they only have a few intriguing trade chips among them.
In any event, the Giants are in striking distance. Arizona needs to prove it can hang around for a full season, and the Dodgers, while still a huge force, have taken a step back from their usual prowess. There’s no reason to believe San Francisco can’t win the West, and that alone should make them buyers.