It is too soon to suggest whether the SF Giants are going to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. That said, one immediate need that they need to fill before they even get there is a reliable, left-handed reliever.
1 immediate need the SF Giants need to fill
The Giants currently have two lefty relievers on the active roster in Erik Miller and Taylor Rogers. The only other rostered southpaw reliever is Ethan Small and he is on the 60-day injured list. They are just not getting the results that they need from either Miller or Rogers and it is going to become an issue sooner rather than later.
In fairness to Miller, he has had stretches where he has done a nice job in the early going. The question is whether he can develop into a legitimate, leverage reliever. For the time being, he is seemingly Bob Melvin’s top option from the left side.
Miller has a 4.50 ERA with 28 strikeouts against 14 walks in 22.0 innings to start his career. The strikeout total is encouraging, but is comes with some wildness as well. He could be an effectively wild reliever. Many are.
He has the arsenal of a high-leverage reliever with a mid-90’s four-seam fastball to go with a changeup and a slider. Both of his secondary pitchers have proven to be tough on opposing hitters.
On the other hand, Melvin does not have much confidence in Taylor Rogers judging by his usage. Rogers has a solid 3.63 ERA, but he has rarely been used in leverage situations. Oftentimes, Melvin has tabbed the veteran reliever when the team is already down by a comfortable margin.
Rogers’ sinker velocity has declined in recent years and is more hittable than he used to be. He still records a healthy number of strikeouts, but his walk and home run rates have trended in the wrong direction. The Giants will be patient with him for now.
Outside of these two, they do not have many options available. Juan Sánchez made a notable impression in spring training, but he has a 4.22 ERA with nearly as many walks (19) as strikeouts (24) in 21.1 innings in the Pacific Coast League this season.
Perhaps, in front of Sánchez on the depth chart is Reggie Crawford. The Giants just promoted Crawford to Triple-A last week and they even hinted that he could reach the majors by the end of the season. That could be out of need due to the lack of a solid option in the majors.
How the Giants address this need remains to be seen. Few teams are selling at this point, but maybe a pitcher like Tim Hill of the Chicago White Sox makes sense. The White Sox are open for business and Hill has some familiarity with Bob Melvin. He is more on the funky side with a sinker that rarely reaches 90 MPH but does a nice job of missing the barrel of the bat.
It is tough to address an immediate need in May since few options are available. However, it is equally as tough for bullpens to be effective without a reliable lefty. The Giants might just need to throw a few different options out there and see what sticks.
