Inbox: What are the SF Giants' biggest needs as the trade deadline comes into focus?

All of a sudden, it's time to start thinking about the trade deadline. We're just about 1.5 months away, and the San Francisco Giants find themselves four games over .500 and in a playoff spot. The Giants' schedule is about to get tough for a couple weeks, so it's important that they continue to play well. With all of that said, do the SF Giants need a big bat? Do they need relief help? Or is their biggest weakness ironically the area that most thought would be their biggest strength coming into the season: starting pitching?

The Giants' future at the shortstop position is discussed, as is Casey Schmitt. After getting off to a red hot start, Schmitt has cooled off considerably due to a tendency to chase wildly at pitches out of the zone far too often. But Schmitt's defense gives him a high floor and still provides value to the Giants even if he's not hitting well. With Brandon Crawford's contract up after the season, is Schmitt the answer at short or will the SF Giants have to figure something else out?

Kyle Harrison is a name that most San Francisco Giants fans are very familiar with by now. By many prospect evaluators, Harrison is the SF Giants' top prospect. Which is exciting, because they've already had a number of prospects come up and make an impact already. But do Harrison's walk issues make him look like more of a reliever than a starter? And with the Giants suddenly having a pretty deep, interesting, and young core brewing, is it time to go all-in on Shohei Ohtani in the offseason when he becomes a free agent?

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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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