So much for making an impact move for the pennant race.
Many Giants fans rolled their eyes on Aug. 2, as MLB’s non-waiver trade deadline passed and the team’s biggest acquisition was struggling outfielder A.J. Pollock. On Tuesday, San Francisco officially cut ties with Pollock after he failed to make an impression during his five weeks with the franchise.
Pollock was placed on unrestricted waivers, while the Giants also reinstated right-hander John Brebbia from the 60-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Tristan Beck to Triple-A.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has been criticized for being unable to pull off splashy trades or signings and this latest move doesn’t help his case.
The 35-year-old Pollock played in just five games with the Giants, including three games as a late defensive replacement, going 0-for-6 at the plate before suffering an oblique strain that sent him to the injured list. Pollock’s recent rehab stint lasted just two games with Triple-A Sacramento before being released.
And so ends the tenure of the Giants’ trade deadline acquisition. Pollock had poor numbers this season and was trying to recapture his 2021 form, when he posted 134 OPS+ for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but never got off the ground with San Francisco.
For the second straight year, the Giants’ inactivity at the deadline could spell doom for their playoff hopes. At what point does the team pull the plug on Zaidi and his regime?
Earlier this season, Giants chairman Greg Johnson told Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, “I can tell you that (Zaidi) is 100 percent here through the end of next season,” but he might have to re-think that strategy. If San Francisco misses the playoffs -- they're currently a game out of the Wild Card spot and spiraling -- it'd be for the fourth time in five seasons since Zaidi started calling the shots.
That 107-win season in 2021 is looking more and more like an outlier.