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Will Smith, 21-for-21 in saves, would be OK if he didn’t get a chance to lengthen that streak this season.
The Giants closer has been linked with so many teams as the trade deadline nears — most recently the Twins, with the Dodgers involved, too — with most of whom he would assume the ninth-inning job. But some, like in LA, would likely shift him to setup man.
If that happens? That’s just fine.
“Not that important,” Smith told KNBR on Wednesday, asked how much he values his closing role in a potential team. “It’s fun, I enjoy it for sure. [But] if you get traded, whatever that team needs, I’ll just do that.
“I just want to win. Keep it simple. They need help [closing], I’ll keep doing that. If not, I’ll just be happy to go to a team that has a chance to go to the playoffs.”
The Dodgers are in the market for help — the thought of it already a nightmare vision for Giants fans — and have Kenley Jansen entrenched at the spot.
For Smith’s part, he’s trying to avoid the rumors and reports, even if Twitter won’t let him.
“People tag me and stuff,” he said. “But I don’t really go in depth. … Just go out and take care of business here.”
Whichever team winds up with the to-be free agent, the Giants will miss him. He’s been easy on Bruce Bochy’s nerves.
“I’ve dealt with [Brian] Wilson, who did a great job, but he made it scary sometimes,” Bochy said before the Giants hosted the Rockies. “[Sergio] Romo could make it look scary. [Santiago] Casilla, especially, could keep you on the edge of your seat. Will, knock on wood, I don’t want to jinx him, I’d say 90 percent of them have been really, really quiet games.”
Brandon Belt was again atop the lineup, a day after Bochy put him leadoff for the first time since Aug. 19, 2018. This may last a while for the slumping slugger.
“I’m going to look at it for a little bit. It wasn’t a [one-]day thing. We’ll see how it goes,” the manager said. “He’s gotta be comfortable, and he says he is.”
Belt was 0-for-3 with an RBI on Tuesday.