Giants don't need to make a huge trade

Yes, I watched last night's game against the Mets, mostly because I hate myself and enjoy torture (cue Duane Kuiper) but I was able to find some hope while watching Moneyball in between the hair-pulling.

During the commercials and extremely gloomy moments of the game, I flipped between the Giants game and the great baseball film (and better book) Moneyball. The reason the Oakland A's were so revolutionary back when Moneyball took place (in 2003) was because they found value in players so many other teams overlooked. Instead of signing higher-profile players like Jason Giambi, they replaced him with cheaper players like Scott Hatteberg who weren't as inferior as other teams thought they were.

This narrative had me thinking about the Giants at today's trade deadline. Rumors had the Giants linked in a deal that would bring Hunter Pence to San Francisco. Now obviously Pence would be an upgrade for the Giants' lineup -- like Carlos Beltran was last year -- but I don't think he'd make as big of an impact as Giants fans would hope -- like Beltran last year. Pence would also cost the Giants top-level prospects (the Giants do not have a stacked farm system to begin with), so the risk seems to outweigh the reward.

If the Giants are going to make a trade(s), they should take a page out of Billy Beane and Peter Brand's Paul DePodesta's notebook and focus on smaller-named players who would cost less (in money and prospects) while still providing plenty of value. Players like Marco Scutaro.

Now sure, Scutaro struck out looking with the bases loaded in the ninth inning last night but I would much rather see that at-bat (0-2 count to 3-2, fighting off tough pitches) than 95% of the at-bats Brandon Crawford has. Scutaro isn't a great hitter but he's more than passable especially when you consider his count-working skills (not that important, but certainly a bonus) and a pretty good OBP history (.358 last year, .379 in 2009, .337 career). He's an upgrade over Crawford and Ryan Theriot at the plate and more reliable than Brandon Belt (I need to rant: Belt has been in an atrocious slump as of late and still has a .342 OBP. As inconsistent and frustrating as he is as a hitter, he still walks at an above-average rate, which is such a valuable trait to have in your lineup. I feel like Billy Beane and Peter Brand in a room full of scouts who all hate Belt because of his giraffe-like body. Beane: "What does Belt do, Peter?" Brand: "He gets on base.")

If the Giants can get one or two more hitters like Scutaro, I think they'll easily be able to contend for the division title the rest of the way.

As far as last night's game goes, no need to overreact. A five-game losing streak is obviously never a good thing and they looked horrible against the Dodgers, but they nearly pulled this one out. Romo's recent struggles are definitely concerning but he could just in a tiny funk. I trust him to turn it around. The Giants could definitely use another bullpen arm (is any Giants fan confident in Casilla right now?) but I'd worry about acquiring bats first. The bullpen has been solid all year and 2-3 bad games from a couple relievers should not overshadow the four previous months of quality pitching.

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