The Giants let three veteran relievers walk this offseason in Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla.
Other than the signing of big name closer Mark Melancon, San Francisco has yet to dip into the free agent market to find replacements for their departed arms, instead (assumedly) planning on promoting from within. General manager Bobby Evans said during Melancon’s introductory press conference last month that other than some potential non-roster invitees, the bullpen was likely set for 2017.
“Our focus on what we have is encouraging, with (Derek) Law, (Hunter) Strickland, (Josh) Osich, (Steven) Okert, Will Smith, Cory Gearrin, and George Kontos,” Evans said. “It’s a good core and we’ve got a lot to work with…At the same time it’s going to be a competition. Clearly roles will have to get defined. There’s certainly frontrunners within this group and that’s good for us.”
It would appear that plans have changed slightly according to a report by Buster Olney in his latest MLB roundup column, where he states that the Giants are one of a handful of teams ‘most aggressive in the search for a lefty’ out of the bullpen.
There are a number of free-agent southpaws remaining on the market, including Jeremy Blevins, Travis Wood, Boone Logan, J.P. Howell, Charlie Furbush, Chris Capuano, and Craig Breslow. There’s also still the aforementioned Lopez, who despite rumors of retirement, said in November that he’d be willing to come back for another season if he found an “acceptable fit.” The Giants have stated previously, however, that they have no plans to bring him back.
Currently, the Giants have three left-handed relievers expected to feature in the bullpen next season in Will Smith, Steven Okert and Josh Osich. Smith, 27, who the Giants acquired in a midseason trade for youngsters Andrew Susac and Phil Bickford, is the overwhelming favorite to take over for Lopez as the team’s primary set-up man. Smith played well for the Giants last season, posting a 2.95 ERA after the trade. Okert and Osich are bigger question marks. Okert, 25, pitched well in 2016, but has just 14 career innings under his belt. Osich, 28, struggled mightily in his second season, posting a 4.71 ERA, while allowing seven home runs in just over 36 innings.
With only one left-handed reliever they can reasonably count on, it makes sense that San Francisco would be looking to add a reinforcement. The question is, how much are the Giants willing to spend to do so?
Blevens (Mets) and Wood (Cubs) are considered to two best candidates still on the market. Blevens, 33, a long time member of the A’s, had a bounce back season in 2016, posting a 2.79 ERA in 73 appearances. He is likely out of the Giants price-range, however, with Ken Rosenthal reporting that both he, and Rockies reliever Boone Logan, are holding out for two-year deals worth around $12 million. Wood, 29, posted a 2.95 ERA in 77 appearances and was an important piece out of the Cubs’ bullpen last season. He has reportedly seen his stock drop due to a deteriorating swinging-strike rate. Spotrac lists his current market value at around $4.3 million.
Despite being over the luxury tax, The Giants did just spend $2 million on backup catcher Nick Hundley. If San Francisco is truly concerned about it’s bullpen depth, and a case can be made that they should be, shelling out $4.3 million for the likes of Wood seems reasonable.
It may not be crucial, but after blowing a league-leading 30 saves last season, an insurance policy could be worth the extra cash.