MLB insider declares San Francisco Giants losers at trade deadline

The trade deadline has officially passed. Several teams made key additions to bolster their rosters for the stretch run of the 2024 season, while others sold pieces off, hoping for a brighter future.

With the deadline period now officially over, Bob Nightengale of USA Today made his list of winners and losers of trade season. His grade for the San Francisco Giants was pretty harsh.

"Pardon the baseball industry for being completely confused what the Giants were doing at the deadline," Nightengale wrote. "It's nice the Giants are going for it, but they sure had an odd way of showing it."

For context, the Giants made moves in both directions this year at the deadline. They traded away Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, sending them to the Atlanta Braves. They also traded Alex Cobb to the Cleveland Guardians.

But instead of purely selling, they traded for Detroit Tigers slugger Mark Canha and also kept left-hander Blake Snell around. In a sense, the Giants were buyers and sellers at the same time.

This approach can work, but it's understandable as to why Nightengale and others are confused by what San Francisco chose to do at the deadline. The moves show that there isn't exactly a clear direction for the franchise.

At 53-56, San Francisco is five games out of the third National League Wild Card spot. The race for that position has been close, with teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds also gunning for a spot in the postseason.

More MLB: Guardians reportedly acquires Giants All-Star for final MLB playoff push