SAN FRANCISCO — Teams like the San Francisco Giants, firmly in the playoff race, do not trade their closers. Once Thursday’s deadline passes, right-hander Camilo Doval is indeed expected to remain a part of the team’s bullpen. But are the Giants missing an opportunity?
Rival executives wonder if the Giants should entertain offers for Doval given San Francisco’s needs elsewhere and the general state of the reliever market.
It’s not too crazy of an idea. High-end relievers are in demand. But the teams dangling those pitchers, such as the Minnesota Twins (Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax) and Cleveland Guardians (Cade Smith, Emmanuel Clase), to name a couple, are notoriously hard to strike deals with, executives say. An opportunistic team might be able to take advantage.
The Giants are at least positioned to do so. Their bullpen has been such a team strength all season that they could afford to subtract from a group that ranks second in the majors in bullpen ERA (3.23, behind only the San Diego Padres), third in opponents’ OPS (.643, behind only the Padres and Boston Red Sox) and first in WHIP (1.16).
Doval, 28, is under club control through the 2027 season, making him all the more valuable.
Although Doval regained the closer role in late May, supplanting struggling right-hander Ryan Walker, All-Star Randy Rodríguez, another righty, would appear primed to step into the ninth inning. Rodríguez has emerged as not only the Giants’ best reliever but one of the best in the major leagues.
Before giving up solo home runs to the Mets’ Ronny Mauricio and Juan Soto during a 5-3 loss Sunday, Rodríguez hadn’t allowed a run in 40 of his 43 appearances, with a 0.82 ERA, along with 59 strikeouts and eight walks in 43 2/3 innings. He had allowed just one home run all season — to the Padres’ Xander Bogaerts on April 29.
Doval, an All-Star in 2023, has rebounded nicely following a disastrous 2024 season in which he was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento in August and finished with a 4.88 ERA. He’s also made improvements that two coaching staffs spent years coaxing him to address, slide stepping to control the running game and reducing issues with the pitch clock. His arm talent continues to be undeniable — his cutter averages 98.1 mph — but it’s fair to wonder if Giants management would feel ultra-confident watching him pitch in October with a season on the line.
Subtracting from the bullpen could allow the Giants to address other pressing roster weaknesses, potentially down the stretch and in future seasons if they can acquire an athletic position player with years of club control.
The Giants’ immediate need is for a rotation filler behind All-Stars Logan Webb and Robbie Ray; over the past week, they placed right-hander Landen Roupp on the injured list with elbow inflammation and sent erratic right-hander Hayden Birdsong to work on his control issues in Sacramento.
But a lack of offensive dynamism continues to be their most persistent issue. The Giants, just one month removed from acquiring star Rafael Devers, went 0-for-23 with runners in scoring position while getting swept in three home games by the Mets over the weekend. They have finished 29th and 30th in the majors in stolen bases in each of the last two seasons, literally getting passed following rule changes that MLB implemented to incentivize risk-taking on the basepaths.
They hoped for a more athletic lineup this season, but center fielder Jung Hoo Lee hasn’t attempted to run much, and speedy Opening Day second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald didn’t hit enough to stay in the big leagues. Incredibly, the Giants have attempted just two stolen bases in July. (The cynical upshot: They haven’t been caught stealing since June 25.)
Despite losing nine of their last 11 games, the Giants are viewed by the industry as buyers. They are 54-52 and just three games back for the final wild-card spot. It is highly likely that the only way they would consider trading off their major-league roster is if they get major-league talent in return that makes them a stronger club.
The way some rival executives see it, if dangling Doval can achieve that goal, the Giants would be doing themselves a disservice to ignore it.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
