The Giants continued their active offseason on Monday, making a couple of moves that change the outlook of their bullpen.
One of them was dealing Yunior Marte to the Phillies in exchange for minor league pitcher Erik Miller.
Marte was considered to be on the opening day roster bubble heading into spring and was occupying a 40-man spot. This move shows the Giants didn't see him as an important piece to their bullpen plans. It allows them to clear that spot while adding a young arm that possesses a lot of upside in the process.
Miller is a few years younger, 25 next month, than Marte, 28. They both are power arms with strikeout stuff, although Miller has battled control issues which have been the only thing keeping him in the minors. The Giants most likely see in him something they can fix to get him in the strike zone more consistently. If they can, we could see him in the bullpen mix in 2023.
Someone who we certainly will see in that bullpen mix is the newly signed right-hander Luke Jackson.
The Giants inked the 31 year-old right-hander to a two-year deal on Monday, giving this team a legit right-handed set-up man to pair with the lefty Taylor Rogers. Only catch here is Jackson probably won't be ready until around June after undergoing Tommy John surgery last April.
It's easy to see what the Giants are hoping to get in Jackson. He was one of the best relievers in baseball in 2021 and was a huge cog in that dominant Braves' bullpen that carried them to a World Series tittle. During that season, Jackson rocked a 1.98 ERA over 71 games. He worked 63.2 innings and allowed just 45 hits while striking out 70 batters for a sparkling 220 ERA+.
Aside from that dominant 2021 however, Jackson has been a little hit or miss over his career. He struggled badly in the truncated 2020 season to the tune of a 6.84 ERA over 19 games. His 4.37 FIP suggests his numbers should have been slightly better, but he gave up 39 hits in 26 innings of work and had a WHIP just shy of 2. His ERA+ for that year was 69.
He was better in 2019, striking out 106 batters over 72.2 innings with a respectable 3.24 FIP and 120 ERA+.
Like with seemingly every other signing by the Giants this winter, they are basing their evaluation on the player's potential and what they've shown in the past over the production the player provided in 2022.
I am a little surprised they guaranteed a guy coming off TJ surgery a two-year deal and close to $12M with a team option for a third. However, if this guy comes back strong by mid-season and shows that his 2021 was no outlier, they essentially get a high-end set-up guy for about half the going rate. In addition, Jackson has as much or more upside than any other reliever left on the market.
Of course, coming off a major surgery like he is, you never can guarantee exactly how long a player takes to regain form or if he'll ever get back to where he was. So there is just as much risk as there is potentially reward.
We saw the same idea in their signing of Mathew Boyd last winter, and Boyd ended up throwing just 13 innings in 2022, none of which came in San Francisco. That was just a one-year deal, however, and Boyd battled other injuries during his rehab which delayed his return. I'm assuming they feel pretty good about where Jackson is at this point in the process though. Hopefully nothing else arises as he begins to ramp up over the next few months.
With the move, the Giants are most likely done adding to their bullpen, at least on any major league deals. They could throw a few spring training invitations to some guys who don't land on a team over the next month, but I don't think they'll give out anymore guaranteed 40-man spots.
Again, this offseason approach by Farhan and the Giants' front office has become a theme. Aside from Ross Stripling, the Giants would not be thrilled by a repeat of 2022 with any player they've added this winter. However, every one of their additions have shown the ability, prior to last year, to being all-star caliber pieces.
Who knows how things will pan out this upcoming season? If their additions all stay healthy and/or prove 2022 was just an off-year, this team will be better than fans are expecting. However, that may be asking a lot, and if they get anything less than that, it's going to be another frustrating summer at Oracle Park.
Comments