That “Check engine” light in your car is the bane of your existence.
You saw it turn on right before you left for vacation, and decided to put it off for a few weeks. You take your car to the shop, and all of a sudden, you’re out $62 million in repairs. That should fix it, right?
Wrong.
The story of the San Francisco Giants’ bullpen is complex and convoluted, and it’s a story with another fascinating chapter to write. General manager Bobby Evans knew his club’s bullpen was leaking oil heading into the second half of the 2016 regular season, but instead of taking his vehicle into the shop for a thorough inspection, Evans traded for a quick fix and acquired left-hander Will Smith right before the trade deadline.
By the time the Giants were eliminated from the NLDS by the Chicago Cubs, though, Evans knew he could no longer avoid the inevitable. His club needed a new engine altogether, and he hit the free agent market hard, inking Mark Melancon to a four-year, $62 million deal to put an end to the Giants’ bullpen issues for the foreseeable future.
That new engine? Not exactly humming.
A year after the Giants signed one of the most expensive closers in baseball history, San Francisco is again looking for bullpen help. With Smith and Melancon both recovering from surgery, the Giants could enter Spring Training in 2018 with an uncomfortable level of uncertainty. Though the organization still has plenty of young, promising arms like Kyle Crick, Reyes Moronta and prospect Tyler Cyr, Evans and vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean have determined the Giants cannot enter next season without making an attempt to fortify their bullpen.
Evans and manager Bruce Bochy insist the Giants are in a better position depth wise thanks to arms like Sam Dyson and Hunter Strickland, but because two of their late-inning relievers are battling back from injury, San Francisco hopes to add another pitcher capable of throwing in the seventh or eighth inning of close games. Though the Giants could always swing a trade for a reliever with a controllable contract they’ve hand-picked, we’re taking a look at pitchers on the free agent market who could finally put San Francisco’s bullpen on the road to success again.
Brandon Morrow: The Bay Area native and Cal product strung together a tremendous season out of the Dodgers’ bullpen, and could draw enough interest to pull him out of the Giants’ price range. In 45 games, Morrow compiled a 2.06 earned run average and became just the second pitcher in World Series history to appear in seven games. Los Angeles could look to re-sign him, but the Giants could also deal a big blow to their rivals by inking Morrow to a multi-year deal that allows him to become Melancon’s primary set-up man. With an average fastball speed of 97.7 miles per hour, Morrow is also the hardest-throwing reliever on the free agent market, and San Francisco could definitely use more firepower in the late innings.
Tony Watson: Since a breakout season that landed him on the National League All-Star team in 2014, Watson has one of the best left-handed specialists in baseball. After being traded from the Pirates to the Dodgers this summer, Watson registered a 2.70 ERA and posted a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio. At just 32 years old, Watson still has a few quality years left in his arm, and with Smith not expected to return to the Giants’ bullpen until May 1, the Giants could benefit from signing a left-handed specialist to navigate early-season jams. Though the Giants have a few young lefties, Josh Osich and Steven Okert, in their system, San Francisco might feel that acquiring a proven left-hander to share the load with Smith is the best path to add bullpen depth.
Bryan Shaw: Aside from proving himself as one of the most durable relievers in baseball by appearing in at least 70 games in each of the past five seasons, Shaw is also an intriguing option for the Giants because like Morrow, he’s a Northern California native. A Livermore High School product, Shaw has never posted an ERA below 2.50, but he’s also coming off a season in which his 3.52 ERA was the highest of his career. Shaw’s consistency and dependability are traits that would make him an excellent candidate to join the Giants’ bullpen, and because he regressed slightly last year, he could be more affordable on the free agent market.
Jake McGee: A hard-throwing left-hander who’s averaged more than a strikeout per inning over the course of his career, McGee isn’t blessed with pinpoint control. However, he’s just 30 years old, and his numbers from the past two seasons could be skewed from all of the outings he’s endured at Coors Field. Though McGee was drafted out of Reed High School in Sparks, Nevada, he was born in San Jose and could be interested in playing in a more pitcher-friendly stadium. Another factor working in McGee’s favor? He’s more than just a left-handed specialist, as right-handers actually have a worse career average (.208) against the southpaw.
Yusmeiro Petit: A Bochy favorite, Petit is coming off the best season of his professional career as he pitched in 60 games for the Angels while compiling a 2.76 ERA. Petit has started just one game in each of the last three seasons, but he came up as a starter and would add value to the Giants’ bullpen because of his ability to throw multiple innings. Petit isn’t necessarily the late-game specialist the Giants would like to insert into seventh and eighth inning situations, but he’s dependable, familiar and could still be relatively inexpensive.
Joe Smith: Smith has bounced from team to team over the past two seasons, pitching for the Angels, Cubs, Blue Jays and Indians. At 33 years old, his effectiveness has declined slightly over the past few years, but he’s still one of the top strikeout pitchers in the league and actually finished the 2017 season with 71 strikeouts in just 54 innings. Smith doesn’t come with all of the upside that some of the young Giants’ prospects possess, but he’s reliable and relatively steady and that could make him a decent fit.