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While others celebrated the start of a three-day weekend, the Giants had another reason to be excited on Friday night.
Shortly after it was reported they were in “serious contract talks” with Tony Watson on February 13, Jon Heyman and Robert Murray, both of FanRag Sports, broke the news that the Giants had come to terms with 32-year-old, left-handed reliever on a $7 million, two-year deal with a player option in 2020.
#SFGiants have a deal in place with LHP Tony Watson, sources tell @JonHeyman and me.
— Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayFRS) February 17, 2018
It was a signing that, based on how the bullpen looked last season, the Giants needed to make and benefits the team in more ways than one.
Two years ago, the Giants made a similar move when they acquired another left-handed reliever, Will Smith, in a three-player trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Smith reached the major leagues as a starter with the Kansas City Royals, but eventually transitioned to the bullpen, where he blossomed into one of the game’s most consistent relievers.
Between his final year with the Royals and three years with the Brewers, Smith held a 3.24 ERA while averaging 51 innings pitched per season. Smith’s ERA never finished higher then 3.70, as it did in 2014, and he pitched 63.1 innings as recently as 2015.
Smith’s success appeared to carry over following his trade to the Giants when he put up a 2.95 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 18.1 innings in the second half of 2016.
Yet, Smith dealt with elbow inflammation during last year’s Spring Training and pitched only 1.2 innings before opting to undergo Tommy John surgery, leaving the Giants without his services all last year.
Left-handed pitching is something the Giants desperately needed heading into the offseason. Last year, the Giants bullpen consisted of only two left-handed pitchers, Josh Osich and Steven Okert.
In his third year in the major leagues, Osich’s ERA soared to 6.23 after creeping up the previous two years. Osich debuted in 2015 and went on to put up a 2.20 ERA in 28.2 innings in relief, but the following year his ERA jumped to 4.71 in 36.1 innings.
As for Okert, last season was the second year of his career and, much like Osich, his ERA leaped from 3.21 in 2016 to 5.67 after 27 innings pitched in 2017. His struggles prompted a demotion to Triple-A Sacramento, where he showed the encouraging sign of a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched.
Now that the Giants have Watson, not only do they have the option to ease Smith back into the bullpen, but it also gives them a reliable left-hander reliever they probably would have needed even if Smith returned at full strength. He also gives the Giants left-handed depth in the bullpen that could serve as their backup plan in case Smith is unable to make a successful return from Tommy John. In the best case scenario, Watson provides enough left-handed relief until Smith returns to full health in early May and the Giants are restocked with two quality southpaw arms in the bullpen, putting less pressure on Osich and Okert.
Additionally, should the Giants reach the postseason, Watson comes equipped with the track record of a successful playoff pitcher. In 12 playoff innings, Watson boasts a 2.25 ERA and is fresh off a remarkable run with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was 2-0 with only one run allowed in the 3.2 inning pitched World Series.
Better yet, from a financial point of view, Watson’s deal — somehow — doesn’t put the Giants over the $197 million luxury-tax threshold.
The player option for Tony Watson counts as guaranteed money for the third year. The guaranteed portion of the entire contract be in the neighborhood of $7 million. That is what allows them to still stay under the CBT. Escalators earned this year would not count for '18.
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) February 17, 2018
Just as they did in their acquisitions of Evan Longoria, Andrew McCutchen, and Austin Jackson, the Giants managed to significantly improve their bullpen without overspending.
However, had Watson’s contract brought the Giants over the threshold, that would have surely opened the floodgates and allowed them to cash out for perhaps an everyday centerfielder, such as Jarrod Dyson, or a starting pitcher to solidify the back-end of their rotation.
In reality, this toughened up the bullpen without forcing the Giants to overspend. It keeps them positioned to reset the luxury-tax penalties in 2018 after going over the threshold the past two years. It wouldn’t be surprising if Watson was the final move the Giants make before heading to Los Angeles for opening day on March 29.