© Stan Szeto | 2019 Jul 19
As the Giants mull the idea of not selling nine days before the trade deadline, closer Will Smith remains very much in demand. So much so that a third of Major League Baseball has expressed interest in the big lefty, according to a report by Jim Bowden in The Athletic on Monday.
The Giants are probably the most intriguing team right now because how they play over the next nine days is expected to help determine whether they decide to sell on Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith, Tony Watson and Sam Dyson. Smith has been one of the most in-demand relievers so far this summer, as the Braves, Phillies, Nationals, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, Astros and Twins have all had conversations with the Giants about him. Several of those teams have realized that Watson makes for a strong fallback position for contenders who will need that sixth-to-eighth-inning lefty for October.
Future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy has the Giants within 2.5 games of the wild card and is within striking distance of 2,000 wins. Are they really going to pull the plug on him in his final season? It will be interesting to see. I still think if they get overwhelmed, they’ll start trading. But they’re going to need more than just fair market value to be convinced to sell — they’ll need to feel that they are winning the deal.
Smith, 30, impressed again in his appearance on Sunday, with two impressive strikeouts in his lone inning of work. Smith now has at least two strikeouts in each of his last four single-inning appearances. Smith holds a 2.55 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while going 24 of 26 in save situations. He, along with Madison Bumgarner, are considered the two biggest trade chips in the majors heading into August.