Since we can only imagine the rest of the Giants’ season going better than it has so far, why not go all out and imagine the impossible?

The San Francisco Giants won’t win the World Series this year. But what if they did?

We’re at the point where the only logical thing we can hope for is some unpredictable amount of luck that gets them that final Wild Card spot. Since that’s all wishful thinking, why don’t we let our crazy imaginations run wild and imagine a movie about this ungainly little team making the wildest of Wild Card runs?

Imagine a story about wealthy underdogs persevering against overwhelming odds and a distinct lack of elite talent, guided only by a proprietary and dispassionate mathematical model. It will take a lot of courage to look certain losers and angry fans in the eye and say, “No. The math is right. We’re good and we’re going to win.” We’ll go the James Cameron route by simply adding an “s” to the sequel and calling this one…

Moneyball$

The plot:

When real-world results don’t match his omniscient computer model, the smartest baseball manager in human history must fight to keep his methods, even when everyone is against him. Because in the end, he will turn out to be right.

But who would we cast in such a film? It’s no easy task, especially because the key characters of the Giants in this story are unique. A casting director would need to find actors who could capture the spirit of each individual to convey their importance and emotional reality to the audience.

Brad Pitt might have been an asset to Billy Beane, but Beane was not bad in the looks department either, and Pitt brought a visible nervousness to the role (in the way he moved, the way he constantly ate) that reflected the inner emotion of the character/real person: he’s always nervous because he has to figure out how to fit in (or die!).

It won’t be easy to do the same for the Giants, as their situation is very different than the Moneyball A’s. They are a textbook example of a franchise in the midst of a huge winning streak (I mean, as defined by the P&L). Still, we imagine a world where the smartest guys in the room are able to take their mediocre roster to the playoffs and win it all. Let’s take a look at their faces:

Dev Patel as Farhan Zaidi

Of course, every good story needs a great hero, and since he is the organization’s only talent and the sole reason for the team’s success (but none of its failures), it is important to assign the most dynamic face and charismatic talent to that role. And when the season turns and the Giants make it to the postseason and get to the World Series with 100% luck like the Diamondbacks did, whether they win or lose that World Series, it will all be thanks to Zaidi’s mind and actions. At least that’s how it would be told in Money Balls.

Patel is an Oscar nominated actor who has also won a BAFTA and a SAG Award. He would find it very easy to play a character who wants to conquer the world to avoid having to deal with his inner emptiness. It would be a very powerful role about what it means to be a god above mortals. The loneliness of power, etc. He is also very handsome and his looks would help audiences understand why he was able to keep his job despite all the mediocrity.

Timothy Simons as Pete Putila

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, for HBO

Putila has a tight grip on the development of the minor leagues, which from the outside looks like he’s drafting young players as quickly as possible, regardless of the circumstances. He also seems like a serious person, but because Patel’s Zaidi has to have so many facets, the character of Putila is bound to play second fiddle, and for that reason, casting that role with a comedic sidekick makes a lot of sense. Simons has been a very funny presence on screen for years, including on HBO’s “Veep.”

The real Putila is 6’4″ and Simons is a 6’4″ actor who played an incredibly tall man who was the butt of everyone’s jokes in his role on Veep. He’s obviously more versatile in acting, but he and Putila look so similar that it just seems like the perfect casting.

John C. Reilly as Bob Melvin

Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images

I just think he’s a great actor who can play Melvin’s mute confusion with ease. While Philip Seymour Hoffman played Art Howe with a certain menace, Reilly was able to show a real vulnerability while also being defensive as the aging executive rages toward the end of his career.

Sydney Sweeney as Alyssa Nakken

Photo by Jaime Nogales/Medios y Media/Getty Images

Of course, to get her into the lineup, they need to increase Nakken’s role in the squad, so Moneyball$ She would probably be a mix of several trainers; but she is modern and will help sell this old IP (The art of winning – Moneyball) accessible to a younger audience.

And the pivotal second-act scene, in which she helps one of the Giants’ IT guys fix a database glitch that will unlock the right numbers to fix Grant McCray’s strikeout tendency, is made that much better by Sweeney’s electric smile.

Bob Odenkirk as Bryan Price

Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

It may be difficult to reconcile the Chicago accent with Price’s West Coast accent, but few actors in Hollywood embody the “confused rage addict” better than old Bob.

Jesse Plemmons as Logan Webb

Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

At 36, he’s a bit old for the role of Webb (27), but he has youthful energy and a dynamic range of performances that suit the role of Webb in this story, so I don’t think it would be so far-fetched that it would jolt you out of reality. Webb’s perspective is crucial in this film. Dev Patel’s character has sold him a long-term strategy to persuade Webb to sign a contract extension below market value, but just a year later, Webb fears he’s been duped.

John Boyega as LaMonte Wade Jr.

Photo by Unique Nicole/WireImage

I’m not usually a fan of British actors taking on American roles, but for Boyega this is the role of a lifetime. The guy has so much charisma and screen presence that it would be a real challenge for him to pack all that into a basically static character. LaMonte Wade Jr. is often injured and barely mobile, but he is a monument to the The art of winning – Moneyball Ethos of finding value in spare parts. Boyega is anything but a spare part, but that’s essentially what makes him the perfect choice for the role.

Kyle Gallner as Michael Conforto

Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

This is admittedly a 1:1 similarity. But Gallner’s star is rising somewhat here in the 2020s (though I know him mostly from Veronica Mars), and seeing him in this role as a guy who’s kind of made it through but also plays with pride could bring good energy to this group. And as a former Met, the character can offer a lot of perspective and advice on how to fall short of expectations in comical ways every year.

Jung Hoo Lee as Jung Hoo Lee

Photo by Adam Glanzman/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Why fight it? The man is a star in every arena.

Austin Butler as Patrick Bailey

Photo by Emma McIntyre/WireImage

Bailey is often injured, so Austin Butler just has to sit around and look good, offering his teammates the wisdom of fellow North Carolina natives when needed. This will likely be a smaller role, but given Bailey’s importance to the team, it should be played by a familiar face.

George Clooney as Greg Johnson

Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

An actor who is always ready to be a little pathetic or a little awkward If he can also be polite from time to time, I think this would be a perfect fit for the Giants CEO and MLB controller; because the story Moneyball$ trying to say that the The art of winning – Moneyball Proceedings does works, but sometimes bad luck just gets in the way.

By filling this cast with attractive people, the audience will be much more open to “it’s just bad luck” than to everything like wasted money, questionable priorities, failures in talent scouting and coaching, reluctance to change strategies or vetting processes – the cast paints over the gaps with a kind of “oh, crap – if this If good-looking people have problems, anyone can. They are so approachable!”

And that is the topic of Moneyball$: The model works. The problem is the players.

We can spend the next few weeks wondering if that idea holds up to scrutiny when six years of experience managing a 40-man roster from scratch and mercilessly cutting players results in Spencer Bivens pitching in the 9th inning of a crucial game or consistently fielding a team that can’t hit the big time.

In the meantime, we are faced with the far-from-fictional story of the 2024 Giants: To save their real, actual season, they need a happy ending like you only see in the movies.