Following a brutally awful series in Washington D.C., the San Francisco Giants have serious work to do ahead of next Tuesday's trade deadline. The SF Giants' flaws have been on full display lately: it's clear that they need another good and reliable starter to pair with Logan Webb and Alex Cobb, but it's also clear that the Giants need to offload one or more of their struggling starters on guaranteed contracts. Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, and Sean Manaea, in particular, are taking up space and not getting the job done.

The only pitchers the SF Giants can option are Logan Webb, Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers, and Ryan Walker. But the Giants are obviously not optioning any of the first three, and Walker has been as reliable as anyone in the bullpen. And the SF Giants are carrying the maximum number of pitchers. They will need to activate John Brebbia at some point. Tristan Beck doesn't seem to belong in Triple-A. And the Giants should be adding a starter. So their only choice is to trade or DFA some of their struggling pitchers, which also includes Jakob Junis.

The Giants were linked to Justin Verlander in a report by MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Verlander is owed a ton of money, is 40 years old, and isn't doing so great himself, but he would be an upgrade over the Giants' expendable mix. It's also become clear that the Giants need middle infield help. Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely are playing everyday in the absence of Thairo Estrada and Brandon Crawford, and it hasn't gone well at the plate. The Giants don't have to give up on either, but they need more reliable production if they truly want to be in the postseason.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenKaspick

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