Today I come to you with three questions:

1) Why is there air?

2) What is the meaning of life?

3) What the hell is wrong with the San Francisco Giants?

The first two are easy. The third — not so much.

As of this writing, the Giants are reeling. Suddenly pitchers are unable to locate home plate and hitters seem to have forgone the popular Torpedo bat in favor of the sponge rubber variety. This team is looking like it not only is in desperate need of help, but also discovering that there might not be any help available — anywhere.

I continue to applaud Buster Posey and the new baseball operations crew for boldly attempting to fix things by signing two established major league hitters to long-term contracts, and then pulling off the biggest trade heist in recent history. He also signed a Hall of Fame pitcher who he knew had something left to contribute.

Then, just when he started ripping the ball, Matt Chapman also ripped his fingers and found himself out for more than a month. Willy Adames left all his hits and all his power behind in Milwaukee. Justin Verlander came into this year with 262 career wins. We’re into July, and Verlander currently has … 262 career wins.

The truth is, I defend Posey on every move he’s made. Chapman is valuable even if he’s not hitting homers every at bat. His glove is maybe the best in baseball. Adames is slowly beginning to turn things at the plate. The bottom line is, good hitters hit. And he’s a good hitter. Verlander has actually pitched well. He’s been victimized by virtually no offensive OR defensive help.

As to Rafi Devers? Right now he looks like he’s lost. Maybe it’s ongoing jet lag. Or maybe it’s that giant chaw he’s got in his cheek. Could be throwing him off balance. He’s been a major league hitter for a decade — I’m guessing he’ll remember what a key hit feels like.

So, up goes the cry “DO SOMETHING BUSTER!” Now here’s a real problem. Perhaps the biggest issue that the new President of Baseball Operations has to deal with is that he can’t make a deal without something to offer up that’s of use to any other team in Major League Baseball.

Let’s start with this: beyond Logan Webb and Bryce Eldridge is there anybody on the Giants current 40-man roster, or anywhere in its minor league system who any other team in baseball covets enough to give up something that could help?

Marco Luciano, the team’s former top prospect? He’s hitting .222 at Sacramento with 13 home runs — but 102 strikeouts in 284 official at bats. Grant McCray? Eleven home runs and a .252 average but, alas, 104 strike outs in 321 at bats.

Hot new prospects? Shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but other than Eldridge, the G’s don’t have a single player in the top 100 prospects in Major League Baseball.

Their minor league system is ranked 28th out of 30 teams. After Eldridge, the Giants’ top five prospects are pitcher Carson Whisenhunt, who’s been good, but with a 4.55 ERA at Sacramento this year. Numbers three through five are young players — two in the Arizona rookie league and one at San Jose. Carson Seymour, who they just brought up and then sent down, was rated their 20th best prospect.

Detroit is considered the best minor league system in major league baseball right now. The other four of the top five are Tampa Bay, Boston, the L.A. Dodgers and Seattle.

So, here’s me scratching my chin and thinking the Giants, who have had one winning season and one playoff appearance in the last eight years are always drafting relatively high. And yet they have but a single player considered to be one of the 100 best minor leaguers.

The Dodgers, who are in the playoffs every year, are the number four minor league system and currently have six players in the top 100.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Looking back on the Giants’ recent number one picks, Heliot Ramos — their number one selection in 2017 — is an everyday player who has become a successful number one selection.

The next year, the Giants took Joey Bart — the “next Buster Posey” — with their number one pick. Obviously he wasn’t and was ultimately traded to Pittsburgh.

That’s because two years later Farhan Zaidi drafted Patrick Bailey number one and he quickly usurped Bart. Two number ones, one catcher.

Since Bart’s selection, with the exception of Bailey and Eldridge (in 2023), who could forget Hunter Bishop, Will Bednar, Reggie Crawford, and James Tibbs? Those were the Giants number-one picks up to this year.

Bishop has been injured most of his career and is right now toiling in mediocrity in Sacramento.

Will Bednar, too, has been injured since he left Mississippi State after the College World Series, and is at Richmond where he’s had limited duty as a relief pitcher.

Reggie Crawford was, like Eldridge, a two-way player whom the Giants ultimately decided was better served as a relief pitcher. Since being drafted in 2022, Crawford has missed time with mononucleosis, an oblique strain, a lat strain, and a labrum tear which required surgery and has cost him this entire season.

Eldridge was 2023’s top pick and because of injuries, his arrival in San Francisco will now probably be tabled until next year.

And James Tibbs, who had his 12 home runs at High-A Eugene, was shuffled off to Boston with Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks.

So here we are desperately seeking help from somewhere, and Buster Posey is left being asked to go “all in” with only a pair of deuces in his hand.

At least if they were “Aces” he might have a chance.

Barry Tompkins is a 40-year network television sportscaster and a San Francisco native.  Email him at barrytompkins1@gmail.com.