MILWAUKEE – Logan Webb experienced only one postseason series in his big-league career, but it was enough of a tasty sampling for him to crave far more.

It was 2021, the one year in the past decade that the Giants reached the postseason, and Webb was exceptional, pitching 14 ⅔ innings over two playoff starts, yielding one run, striking out 17, and walking none.

The Giants were eliminated by the Dodgers in five games and have been hunting the playoffs ever since. Barring a minor miracle, the Giants — who improved to 25-38 with Thursday’s wild 12-9 win over the Brewers — will be denied once again.

“The goal is to create a culture here where you’re winning every year,” said Webb, who’s coming off his best start of the season (seven innings, one hit, in Wednesday’s 1-0 victory) and targeted to pitch Monday’s homestand opener.  “Unfortunately, we haven’t done that yet. I’m still searching for those answers. Hopefully we can turn it around.”

Because of their place in the standings and desire to add talented young players, the Giants are heading toward another likely sell-off approaching the Aug. 3 trade deadline with pitcher Robbie Ray and second baseman Luis Arráez the obvious trade bait. Rumors will run rampant because both have expiring contracts and will be eligible for free agency.

In that same rumor mill, Webb’s name easily could be spinning, too, which would seem unthinkable considering his success and value as a Giant. But with the way the season is trending, very few on the roster should be considered untouchable. Playoff-bound clubs seeking rotation help wouldn’t be doing their due diligence if they didn’t check in with the Giants on the availability of Webb, who’s under club control through 2028.

Wait a minute. Not Webb. That’s lunacy. The man finished second, sixth, and fourth in Cy Young Award voting the past three years. He’s a two-time All-Star. And he led the league in innings three seasons in a row and in strikeouts last year.

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You don’t trade those guys. You build around them.

Yet the Giants are in a predicament from which they must consider all options. By no means do they want to part with Webb. As general manager Zack Minasian said, “The only thing I would say is we’re looking for Logan Webbs.”

If another team comes along, desperate to stamp an exclamation point on its playoff roster, and offers a staggering collection of young talent including a potential front-line starter and one or two can’t-miss prospects, there’s nothing wrong with listening.

Naturally, Webb, a team leader and one of the most respected players in the league, not to mention a favorite of the Giants’ marketing and PR departments, said he wants to stick with the only organization he knows, the one that drafted him and signed him out of Rocklin High School in 2014, the year the Giants won their last World Series.

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He also said he’s confident this team still has the foundation to turn into a winner and wants to see it through in orange and black.

“Yeah, of course,” Webb said. “I didn’t sign the contract to play for a couple of years and then get traded. I don’t make those decisions. I have no say, really, in any of that stuff. But right now, I’m a Giant, and I’ll be a Giant until I’m not.”

Webb’s original five-year, $90 million deal ate up his final two arbitration years and first three years of free agency. He’ll make $23 million in 2027 and $24 million in 2028. By comparison, over the winter, both Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez signed deals with significantly higher average annual salaries.

In a perfect world, Webb would be featured in a Giants makeover that leads to regular postseason appearances. Perhaps he would get a contract extension. Maybe retire a Giant. All the things that make dreams come true. But the real world isn’t always dreamy, and the real world for the Giants isn’t necessarily bright, their consecutive wins the past two days in Milwaukee notwithstanding.

“I grew up in Sacramento and watched the Giants,” said Webb, who vividly recalls the championship era when decorated pitchers Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Madison Bumgarner took turns leading the charge. “We’re not trying to recreate exactly what we did in the past, but I think it’s a recipe for success, when you pitch well and play good defense. It’s getting back to that. 

“When things aren’t going well, you can’t let it spiral, which I think we have done, unfortunately. It doesn’t mean we can’t get back on track. I’ve been on teams that rattled off 10 wins in a row and got back in it. It’s definitely possible, and we have the talent and coaching staff to do that. It’s just sticking together and putting in a full nine-inning effort.”

That was the case Wednesday on the pitching side (Webb handed the ball to the bullpen, and Keaton Winn earned a five-out save) and Thursday on the hitting side (20 hits including a 4-for-5 effort by Jung Hoo Lee and homers by All-Star candidate Casey Schmitt and Eric Haase, a grand slam). The objective is to go on a run with all the elements in sync.

A standup guy, Webb admitted he hasn’t done his part so far, having posted a 5.06 ERA in his first eight starts before going on the injured list with a knee issue. He returned last Friday in Colorado and yielded one run in 4 ⅓ innings and then came the start in Milwaukee in which he flirted with a no-hitter.

“I like to lead with how I throw and carry myself out there, and I think both of those weren’t very good,” Webb said. “There were times I’ve shown too much emotion. We score a run, and then I give it right back, stuff like that where I have to do a better job. It’s getting back to being that guy you can trust and lean on.”

Webb is known as a big-game pitcher, as evidenced by his contributions to the 107-win season in 2021, his two playoff starts against the Dodgers, and his dominance in the World Baseball Classic. He’d love to pitch in the playoffs again, sooner rather than later and preferably in San Francisco.

The question is whether the Giants believe they’ll be able to evolve into a playoff team within his contractual window, in which case his presence would be required. On the flip side, if the Giants conclude a form of rebuilding is necessary, one trade chip stands above the rest.