MLB 2015: Contenders or pretenders
San Francisco Giants: Pretender
It appears the odd-year pattern will continue for the Giants, who have been dealt too many injuries to keep up in the loaded NL playoff race.
San Francisco has been maddeningly inconsistent all year, with four separate losing streaks of at least five games already. The fact that the Giants still have a 42-41 record and are within striking distance shows there’s obviously still talent here, but it’s hard to see them overtaking any of the top four teams in the NL.
There’s too many holes on the current roster to patch up at the trade deadline. The Giants need help all over the outfield, and rotation depth has been seriously tested by injuries.
If San Francisco had Hunter Pence and Nori Aoki among others for the entire season, things would be different. As of right now, it faces a huge uphill battle to make the playoffs.
Next: New York Yankees: Contender
New York Yankees: Contender
The AL East is shaping up to be the most interesting division race over the second half of the season. Four teams are currently within two games of the division lead, with each one having a clear set of strengths and weaknesses.
New York, who leads the division by one game at 44-38, is best positioned to fix those weaknesses at the trade deadline. If the Yankees acquire a starter to replace the sunk cost of C.C. Sabathia, they will be a very formidable team moving forward.
A rotation of Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and a new addition plus the dominant back-end of the bullpen would make the Yankees very tough to beat should they make the playoffs. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are doing enough to carry the offense, while the return of Jacoby Ellsbury will help.
The other AL East teams, particularly the Toronto Blue Jays, won’t be easy to hold off, but have more holes to fix than the Yankees.