SAN DIEGO — San Francisco Giants General Manager Brian Sabean had nothing to announce after the non-waiver trade deadline passed Thursday, but he acknowledged that he wasn't offering the hottest merchandise.

"It's not like our players are not going to get through waivers," Sabean said.

So now that all 25 Giants will reunite Friday at Petco Park, will younger players still be forced to scrap for time behind players like Rich Aurilia and Omar Vizquel? Or will the Giants pull their veterans out of the shop window?

With almost zero interest in Aurilia, Vizquel and their ilk before the deadline, Giants officials are arriving at the conclusion that there is little to gain in continuing to play them. And in clipped language, Sabean hinted strongly that the club finally would fulfill its promise to go young.

"We'll decide on Friday, beginning with Friday's series, who we want to play and when," Sabean said. "Our veterans have been great about what our needs have been. I don't expect that to change. They're not going to be an impediment. They all have a good relationship with the ballclub and the manager and myself and the front office. They understand the program. There's not any problem with the path we're following."

Sabean almost always defers to his manager when it comes to lineup decisions, but he said he intends to take a greater hand in determining the names on the card.

"Obviously, I'll have to, to take pressure off (Bochy) and make sure everybody is on the same page," Sabean said. "(Bochy) understands."

The Giants had hoped for steady progress this season, but they were 8-16 in July, and their veteran-laden lineup was overmatched by premier pitchers such as CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets — as well as journeymen such as Jason Johnson.

Sabean was combative during his conference call with reporters. He rebuked a reporter who suggested that the trade deadline came and went quietly, insisting he was involved in many conversations late Wednesday night and up to the final minute.

But while plenty of big deals went down over the past week, the Giants couldn't pull off anything creative or unexpected.

Many in the industry believe that Sabean hasn't reestablished himself as a master dealmaker since the November 2003 fiasco in which the Giants received catcher A.J. Pierzynski from the Minnesota Twins. The Giants gave up All-Star closer Joe Nathan, fireballing left-hander Francisco Liriano and former first-round pick Boof Bonser in the deal. Pierzynski turned out to be a class clown and was released after one season.

In 4 › years since the Pierzynski fiasco, Sabean's biggest trade acquisitions have been Randy Winn, Dustan Mohr, Wayne Franklin, Ricky Ledee, Dave Burba, Steve Kline, Steve Finley, Shea Hillenbrand, Vinnie Chulk, Mike Stanton, Randy Messenger, Rajai Davis and Travis Denker.

Among that group, only Winn has made an impact of any significance.

Asked if he had hoped to acquire a hitter in similar circumstances to the Winn deal, Sabean said, "It was a nice thought. Yeah, we were hoping. But early on I knew that wasn't going to happen. It didn't take the last couple days to figure it out. Players like that haven't been moved, so that will tell you what the climate was like."

Sabean's conference call with reporters took place moments before news broke about the day's biggest deal: The three-team stunner that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. As part of the deal, the Pittsburgh Pirates sent All-Star outfielder Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox.

Bay is a middle-of-the-order hitter who won't be a free agent until after next season, putting him in a small category of players who would have been a terrific fit for the Giants. But it would have taken premium young pitching to land a player like Bay, and Sabean stuck to his pledge to keep Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and others. With those players off-limits, Sabean had little scratch to strike a deal.

And there was almost no interest in what Sabean was pushing, including Aurilia.

"I'm surprised there was no interest," Sabean said. "We did all the work and there was no interest."

Sabean said he wasn't disappointed in the lack of activity because "we're confident this is ongoing process. ... Now we'll see who gets through waivers and hope people come to their senses. ...

"The day has come and gone, but it's not an impediment in my mind to what we need to do."