Farhan Zaidi took over as the head of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants this year, and it's as if the circumstances of his first trade deadline have been pitched into a blender, with nobody really knowing -- including Zaidi -- what concoction will emerge over the next 10 days.
Think about all of the ingredients that will go into Zaidi's decision on whether to buy or sell the likes of Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith, Tony Watson and others.
1. The Giants were really awful for about the first two months of this season, losing 33 of their first 54 games, a 99-loss pace.
2. The Giants have been outstanding of late, winning 14 of their past 17, including seven in a row before their loss on Saturday. They are 49-50 overall, climbing with the help of players that Zaidi and his front office have recently added: Mike Yastrzemski has a .787 OPS; 29-year-old left fielder Alex Dickerson, acquired from the Padres in a deal on June 10, is batting .403 since joining the Giants; 31-year-old infielder Donovan Solano, signed as a free agent during the offseason, is hitting .330. The Giants' outfield is very different than the group they started the year with.