With the World Series set to start, it’s time for the Giants to start reflecting on the past season. By reflecting on the past season they will realize what the biggest need for the team is. It’s the reason they aren’t in the World Series right now, lack of a closer.
Newsflash. The reflection process started and ended a couple of days after the season. General Manager Bobby Evans said point blank the team will be going after a closer this off-season. He knows he should have pulled the trigger on a closer, but didn’t. Evans wants to make amends. The Giants picked a good year to need a good closer. The free-agent market has quite a few options, like Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon.
Chapman will most likely re-sign with the Cubs, but Jansen and Melancon are very much available. The Giants made a strong play for former Dodger Zach Greinke last offseason and almost acquired him. Expect the Giants to make a strong play for Jansen over the winter. Jansen hinted he wants to test free agency, so there’s no guarantee he re-signs with the Dodgers. Jansen won’t come cheap.
Melancon, on the other hand, will be easier to acquire than Jansen or any other closer on the market. At 31 he’s the oldest of the high priced closers and because he doesn’t have the stuff that Chapman and Jansen have he won’t demand as much money as the previous two.
Just because Melancon won’t be valued as highly as some closers it’s not to say he isn’t valuable. He has 98 saves over the last two seasons, which is 35 more than embattled Giants closer Santiago Casilla who had 69.
Melancon would be the best fit for the Giants because he’s a contact reliever. He still averages 8.2 strikeouts per 9 innings, but he doesn’t get you out with stuff. He does it with his cutter, also known as the Mariano Rivera pitch. Behind the Giants defense a pitcher like Melancon would feast.
Melancon will be the cheapest of the three big name closers, but still won’t be cheap. Nationals General Manager said they will “go hard,” after Melancon to keep him in Washington. This means there will be a bidding war for him, just like any other closer. We know the Giants don’t usually win bidding wars.
The Giants best option could be trading for a closer. The number one trade option is Wade Davis of the Kansas City Royals. Davis is relatively new to the closer role, having assumed it during the Royals World Series run in 2015. He only has 47 career saves, but was a top three closer in baseball in 2015 and 2016 when healthy.
The Giants were close to acquiring Davis at last seasons trade deadline, but backed off because of injury concerns. Davis came back and pitched the rest of the season, but wasn’t quite the same pitcher post-injury.
Even with the injury risk the Giants have to take the chance and trade for Davis if the price is right. When healthy he gives them a guy with a high 90s fastball who will strike hitters out and someone who can pitch multiple innings if he needs to.
As this postseason is showing, closers need to be able to pitch multiple innings and since Davis was a former starter he has plenty of arm strength to pitch 2 or maybe 3 innings if he needs to.
This is an important offseason for the Giants. They need to solidify the closer situation because everything will fall in place after that. The Giants have a good bullpen, the problem was none of the guys in the bullpen pitch well in the ninth inning. Finding a closer will make everything else that much easier.