Giants stand pat at deadline—how slow rental market likely dictated inactivity - a podcast by Locked on Podcast Network, Ben Kaspick

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick talks about the Giants not making any major moves at the 2020 MLB Trade Deadline. After the Giants made five trades on deadline day last year, fans may have expected another flurry of activity for the retooling Giants. But there was no such flurry this year, as the Giants' only trade involved the recently DFA'd left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda, who will report to Sacramento. The Giants' inactivity made a lot of sense, however, for many reasons. First of all, this is an extremely weird season caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Giants figured to be involved in the rental market, potentially trading away short-term assets and seeking to also acquire short-term assets. But the rental market seemed particularly slow this year, with several players who seemed like candidates to be traded staying put. This was likely because teams were simply not willing to give up much of consequence for a player who would only be with them for one month (there's usually two months left after the deadline). Playoff teams also have to make it through a new best-of-three postseason round before advancing to a best-of-five, and there's always the threat that the virus could shut down the season. What's more, some may view this season's champion as illegitimate because of the shortened season.
So, at the end of the day, the Giants, who are close to playoff position thanks to the expanded postseason, did not have any reason to "sell" short-term assets like Kevin Gausman and Tony Watson, unless they received substantial offers that likely just did not exist. Likewise, the Giants figured to be active in the short-term buying market (e.g., for players like Jackie Bradley Jr.), but they probably weren't willing to give up much of consequence for 24 games of a simply decent player. All that led to a deadline that had some excitement but was much slower than usual. Ultimately, this was to be expected and that's exactly how it played out. Now the Giants, who won two of three against the D-backs over the weekend, will continue the season with their roster intact, chasing an unlikely spot in the playoffs. Per FanGraphs, their odds of making the postseason stand at 39%.
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