SAN FRANCISCO – As the rumors swirl regarding what the San Francisco Giants may or may not do at the deadline, Bruce Bochy can acknowledge he has his preference.

A second half that seemed destined to simply be just a farewell tour for the future Hall-of-Fame manager suddenly seems like it will be full of meaningful baseball.

The Giants, written off by many as recently as earlier this month, are now baseball’s hottest team, winners of 15 of 18 after taking three of four from the New York Mets.

They’ve put themselves in a position that could allow the front office to keep the band together and try to let Bochy chase a potential fourth ring in his 25th and final season as a manager, including 13 with these Giants.

“I’m attached to these guys, that’s fair to say,” Bochy said Saturday morning. “I know what they’ve done for the organization and for me. Things aren’t always going to stay the same, but it’s pretty amazing when you look out there, especially in the infield, those guys have been here a long time. Selfishly, sure, I enjoy it and working with these guys and appreciate my relationships with them. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but sure, you get attached to them.”

View photos San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy is set to retire at the end of the 2019 season. (USA TODAY Sports) More

The business and personal side of baseball are often on different tracks at the trade deadline as teams try to make honest assessments of their situation.

Executives, players and managers often say at this time how this game is a business, and tough calls have to be made for the greater good.

The Giants seemed dead in the water as recently as June 27 when they were 12 games under .500 and in last place in the NL West, and it seemed then like a foregone conclusion that Bochy’s final season would feature him overseeing a losing team that had begun its transition to a team committed to rebuilding.

It would not be the most exciting final season for a manager with the 11th-most wins in MLB history, but it’s the price the Giants would be paying for chasing titles this decade. And, unlike the Detroit Tigers, the Giants have hardware to show for it.

Yet, these Giants, who twice have won the title from the wild card spot, are now just 2.5 games back in the chaotic NL wild card race.

Suddenly, Bochy has the chance to go out while making one final push with holdovers from his championship teams such as Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Belt, Joe Panik and Brandon Crawford.

It would be a deserving final stretch for one of baseball’s great baseball minds, and a manager who will forever by loved by Giants fans.

That Bochy has the chance to end his tenure managing a contender is not lost on Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi. He’s the one balancing the business side —like Madison Bumgarner’s future —with the personal factors.

Zaidi praised Bochy and his staff for the job they’ve done in reviving the team.

“This kind of entire ecosystem is really conducive to a team maybe even overachieving and making a run because I don’t think it’s just about Boch, it’s the players’ sentiment for him,” Zaidi said Sunday morning before a 3-2 win in 12 innings over the Mets. “This team coming together over the last month and a half or so has been as much about their motivation to do well for him as anything else. I know how excited and energized he is as we all are about our play.”

He added: “The ability to compete this year and keep the fans engaged is important to us. Boch being here for his final season is part of this too.”

That the Giants are even at this point where a sell-off is not the only option at the trade deadline is a credit to Bochy and his staff, according to his players.

The Giants have a strong bullpen featuring three trade candidates, but the rest of the team has either underperformed or been inconsistent.

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