Red Sox Rumors: Boston inquired about Giants relievers Tony Watson, Will Smith
The Boston Red Sox reportedly asked the San Francisco Giants about relievers Tony Watson and Will Smith, but it’s unclear if they are available.
The San Francisco Giants have yet to determine if they are going to be trade deadline sellers yet the Boston Red Sox have checked in with them just in case.
The Boston Sports Journal’s Sean McAdam reports that the Red Sox have inquired about Giants left-handed relievers Tony Watson and Will Smith.
Source: Red Sox asked about SF LHPs Tony Watson & Will Smith, but both controllable beyond 2018 & Giants unsure about selling off.
— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) July 31, 2018
Both pitchers are controllable beyond this season, which adds to their appeal yet also makes San Francisco hesitant to deal them. The Giants don’t appear to be contenders this season. They are 5.5 games out in the NL West and 5 out of a Wild Card spot, with a handful of teams they would need to leap over. However, they may feel close enough to expect they will be back in the mix next year. In that case, they may want to hang on to their top relievers.
Watson is having another excellent season, his first in San Francisco. He owns a 2.11 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9. The 33-year old has been a reliable bullpen arm over the course of his career, posting a 2.63 ERA and 147 ERA+ over eight seasons.
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The southpaw has held left-handed hitters to a .222 average, .489 OPS and only one extra-base hit this season. He’s no specialist though. Right-handed hitters are only hitting .219 against him, albeit with a bit more power with a .617 OPS and all three of the home runs he’s allowed.
He has notched 30 saves over the course of his career but isn’t ideally suited for the closer role, having converted only half of his opportunities. Watson would be an improvement in the eighth inning role for the Red Sox
Watson is locked up for a modest $3.5 million next season with a $2.5 million player option for 2020.
Smith is currently serving as the Giants closer and has converted five of six save opportunities since claiming the role. He has posted a 1.35 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and an elite 12.7 K/9 this season.
He’s a lefty, but Smith can dominate hitters on either side of the plate. Right-handed bats are hitting .179/.240/.224 against him and lefties are hitting .163/.180/.204. The five doubles he has surrendered are the only extra-base hits he’s allowed this year.
Smith missed the entire 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery that spring. He’s healthy now and having the best year of his career. Acquiring a pitcher who has recently recovered from a significant arm injury is risky but Smith has been better than ever since his return. His fastball velocity is down a tick from his pre-injury level but Smith has never relied on throwing heat. He’s worked in the low to mid-90’s throughout his career and his current 92.5 mph average fastball velocity is in that range.
Next year will be Smith’s final year of arbitration eligibility. He’s making $2.5 million this year and can expect a bit of a bump next season before he hits free agency.
Both of these pitchers are ideal targets for a Red Sox team short on left-handed depth in their bullpen. They can be trusted in a setup role against batters from either side of the plate and will still be around next season.
dark. Next. Red Sox options on the relief pitcher market
It makes sense for the Red Sox to keep Watson and Smith on their radar. If San Francisco puts them on the market for a reasonable price, Boston should swoop in to snag one of them. Maybe even both.