The Giants announced a quartet of roster moves, including the news that veteran left-hander Jake McGee has been designated for assignment. Right-hander Zack Littell was also placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, while outfielder Luis Gonzalez was reinstated from the 10-day IL and righty Yunior Marte was called up from Triple-A.
McGee signed with San Francisco in the 2020-21 offseason, inking a two-year deal worth $5MM in guaranteed money — $2MM in 2021, $2.5MM this season, and a $500K buyout of a 2023 club option worth $4.5MM if exercised. That contract paid immediate dividends for the Giants in 2021, as McGee posted a 2.72 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate, and an elite 4.2% walk rate over 59 2/3 innings. With 31 saves, McGee was the Giants’ primary closer, though Tyler Rogers and (later in the season when McGee was sidelined with an oblique injury) Camilo Doval also stepped in for some ninth-inning situations.
Unfortunately for McGee, his second season in the Bay Area hasn’t been nearly as smooth. His strikeout rate has plummeted to a career-worst 11.5%, and he has a 7.17 ERA over 21 1/3 innings (also missing two weeks on the IL due to back tightness). With Doval taking over as closer, McGee hasn’t been able to perform effectively in a set-up role, and right-handed batters have been crushing McGee’s offerings.
The Giants had clearly seen enough, and could now be on the hook for the remainder of McGee’s salary (roughly $1.12MM) if he isn’t claimed off the DFA wire or acquired in a trade. If McGee clears waivers and is released, then another team would owe only the prorated minimum salary for his services, with the Giants responsible for the rest of his guaranteed salary.
Despite McGee’s struggles this year, his past track record could generate some interest on the trade front. The left-hander has been a quality performer for the majority of his 13 MLB seasons, and after it seemed he was winding down after a couple of tough years with the Rockies in 2018-19, he rebounded in 2020 to contribute to the Dodgers’ world championship team. McGee is still very effective against left-handed batters, so an interested team could try to use him in as much situational work as possible (given the three-batter rule), or perhaps a new club might feel a change of scenery in general will get McGee back on track.
Littell is another reliever who was excellent in 2021 (2.92 ERA over 61 2/3 IP) but has had some bumps in 2022, posting a 5.04 ERA over 30 1/3 frames. A 3.32 SIERA indicates that Littell has been a little unfortunate this year, hurt in particular by a spike in his home run rate. Littell also spent 10 days on the COVID-related injury list, and was optioned to Triple-A in late June before being recalled just two days ago. That means the 26-year-old will at least bank Major League service time while on the IL, and depending on the severity of his strain, Littell could be in for a fairly lengthy absence.
Gonzalez has been out of action since June 23 due to a lower back strain, and he’ll now look to resume what has been a semi-breakout year. The 26-year-old has hit .302/.361/.447 with three home runs over 180 plate appearances, getting regular work against right-handed pitchers even in a San Francisco lineup that is already heavy in left-handed hitting outfielders.
The San Francisco Giants. LOL
The San Diego Padres currently have 0 championships.
Up voting our own troll posts again, I see
The Padres have won nothing
Come on you guys, give him a break. This is the first year in ages that SD isn’t mopping up last place. He must feel like they just won a ring on that alone
The Giants won five ML championships in New York and three in San Francisco. Only the Red Sox have won more championships (4) since the turn of the century than the Giants (3).
The Padres have won none.
The Giants franchise has won 23 pennants and been to the postseason 26 times.
The Padres have won two pennants and been to the postseason five times.
That’s cool. And how are the Giants doing this season and how does any of that affect them right now?
Congrats on the YouTube videos I guess? Is their season really that awful you rather watch YouTube than Giant games this season? Well to each their own I suppose.
I’m a Yankee fan. I’m just responding to a fan of a team that’s never won anything talking trash about a team that’s second in the NL in World Championships.
12-0. Giants over Padres today. Instant karma?
@gywnn, you know, this is the first time in two years that I think your post is fair. All of us know that the Giants are pretty laughable right now (or tear inducing). But, when you’re such a troll and have been for so long, you can tell us the sky is blue and that San Francisco (not frisco) is a coastal city, and no one believes you or gives a s**t what you say.
Your life, lol!
I am not sure how McGee finds himself the odd man out. Since he came back May 31, he has a bad, but not awful 4.91 ERA (FIP has it at 3.92). Marte hasn’t shone at the bigs yet. There is a Righty reliever vs lefty reliever but still.
I agree. He’s only made 24 appearances, and with his track record, you would think that he was due to have a solid stretch to get his numbers more toward the mean.
I have noticed, though, that his strikeouts per 9 are way down. Is his velocity down? Obviously the Giants must know something the rest of us don’t.
McGee has continued to regress no matter how many times Giants stuck with him. It was time to move on from McGee and give someone else a chance.
They were saying on knbr (can’t remember who) that it was clear that kapler had lost trust in mcgee by how he was using him. Or rather, not using him when available in a recent couple games. This was Friday afternoon. Then kapler, sure enough, brings him in and mcgee, sure enough, promptly blows it.
So you can imagine if you were in that situation where you’ve lost trust in a guy, but you give him one more chance, then he blows it right away. You could see the disgust on kaplers face
I prolly would’ve cut Rogers first, that being said it’s harder to replace his deception and funk. Mcgee was effectively a one pitch pitcher and that always bothered me. I’m fine with it, would rather see what we have and move what we can at the deadline.
Rogers will need to make some changes in either his delivery or develop another one for pitch. A lot of teams seem to have caught up to him this not making him as effective as he has been in the past.
Love McGee, but, sadly, I think he is done. It’s time to move on from him.
McGee was hitting 99 early in the season but last night was down to 92. He had a great season last year. The dude definitely gives it his all.
What professional baseball player doesn’t give it his all?
Manny Machado famously said he is not Johnny Hustle. So there is at least one
I’m just glad we got Gonzalez back
between him, Wade Jr and now Villa I have guys I’d want to watch hit and we can plan a future…
LaStella is next to go
I have zero clue why the Giants have carried LaStella this far. A DFA seems long overdue. although, to be fair, the Giants offense seems to be filled with DFA candidates right now.
I share your frustration. But he’s under contract for much longer than McGee.
LaStella had achilles surgery, a tough procedure to come back from. I admit he’s not been good, but he’s playing at probably 70%. Since he’s under contract for 2023, the Giants are just hoping he gets healthy, and becomes they guy they hoped they signed.
You’re right about LaStella. Giants have stuck with him too long. Stays injured, can’t play defense and offers little to no offense. But Kapler still likes how he manages his at bats and works pitcher’s counts.
Villar
Random name
McGee is a one pitch pitcher that has to have velocity and be able to move the ball around the strike zone.
We need to get a real closer, because Doval is not the answer. He might throw 102 with his fast ball, but continues to use his slider and the hitters know what’s coming. If I threw 102 and had a slider, I would add a change up.
The Giants could have acquired Rogers brother, the Padres didn’t give up much for him. I think we might see some big changes come the trade deadline, at least I hope so.
Giants are finding out the same thing with doval that the dodgers are with graterol: there’s a bit more than just throwing 3-digit heat to being a closer. It’s a different game than ten years ago when 100 meant you were the closer, period
Graterol’s ERA+ so far this year is 119. McGee’s is 58.
I wonder if we see dodgers claim him.
I believe they were comparing Doval and Graterol, not McGee. Doval’s ERA+ is 127.
semut:
I agree about Doval. I see a comp with Hunter Strickland. I was excited about both, but like with Strickland, my enthusiasm for Doval is fading fast.
talking baseball:
I agree. If Doval is going to progress he needs another pitch. He throws the slider a majority of the time. The slider is the worse pitch to make a mistake with; mistake sliders get hit hard.
And since batters are already going to be looking for the slider against Doval, any mistake in location will be a bigger issue for him than it is for a guy that throws 2, or 3 other pitches, and the slider only 25-30% of the time.
I really wonder if the Giants have tried to get him to develop a new pitch, and wonder why if they haven’t.
Don’t get your hopes up for big changes at trade deadline. Zaidi will continue dumpster diving. Firing Kapler would be a good start to big changes. Kapler has lost the players.
Last season FZ traded for Kris Bryant. There’s no reason to assume nothing but dumpster diving. It depends on where the Giants are at the deadline. If they’re playing better, and have a good shot at the PS, he’ll improve the team. If they don’t turn it around, he’ll continue to dumpster dive, and why not? Every once in a while he finds a serviceable contributor.
I used to hate mcgee when he was a dodger (“my” team). Even though he managed ‘ok’numbers he just always looked like one swing away from taking the L. I just can’t understand how a pitcher can go forward with one and a half pitches, it’s bizarre.
I mean, more power to the guy, but when you know heat is coming all you have to do is locate it. We used to call him Homerun Mcgee because when he did give up hits they seemed to go yard a lot
Will this SF losing streak turn them into sellers at the deadline? They seem stuck in that middle ground between contender and rebuild
Nah, they have too much pride. Plus there are extra playoff spots this year, & the NL is pretty bad overall.
And as bad as they’ve been(4-17 over the last 21), they’re unthinkably still just 3.5 games back in the WC race.
Yeah, but fading fast and looking like they could easily end up sniffing the bottom of the cellar in the NL West when all is said and done.
There’s no way they finish below Colorado & Arizona imo. SF is starting to get guys back now — Wade first, next Gonzalez, then Junis.
Yeah, but there’s more holes in this lineup than in swiss cheese. Both offense and defense look abysmal. Doesn’t seem to matter if pitchers are lights out if no one hits or if defensive gaffes keep losing games.
All true — but crazy stuff can happen in the last few months…
Jake McGee @ForeverGiant
A trade of McGee wouldn’t surprise me. Anybody that claims him takes on the salary. But a team that’s interested may work out a deal where SF picks up some of the salary in exchange for a lottery ticket. Teams run a risk waiting for him to be released since they might lose him to another team. Of course that’s all dependent on another team being interested.
I’m hoping they get something for him. There isn’t all that much out there in the market.
Probably not. The Giants are literally paying for him to just go away.
McGee is just another example of how everything broke just right for the Giants’ charmed 107-win season last year. Everyone has regressed this season, and so we see the results I was expecting last year one season later. Don’t get me wrong – I like SF, but I wasn’t delusional enough to expect them to follow up with any kind of encore. Across the board no one on that roster is doing what they did last year.
solaris602:
The problem isn’t only some players regressing, it’s mostly players being injured. There is some regression, most notably Crawford, and Belt, But guys like Wade, a big part of last season, has hardly played at all this season. Belt’s regression could be due to injury, and he’s played in little more than half the games.
Along with Wade, and Belt, guys like Estrada, Yaz, Ruf, and Casali, all big parts of the 2021 success, have been, or are, on the IL, as is Longo. And that’s not even counting the pitchers. And players coming off the IL, usually don’t always hit the ground running. Most need time to get their rhythm back.
No one with any baseball knowledge expected another 100+ win season in 2022. I did expect a 90+ win season, and until a few weeks ago, they were on that pace. Exactly 3 weeks ago, just shy of 40% through the season, they had a .578 winning percent, which computes to 93.6 wins.
Getting Gonzo back will help.
Won’t miss McGee. According to Baseball Reference Gonzo is a Pitcher too, so he can grab McGees outings with probably the same results.
Mr McGee pitching more like Mr McGoo, amirite?
Correcto-mundo
Zack Littel has been a beast in his time with the Giants. It’s a shame he didn’t get to face Jake Lamb in his match-up with the Dodgers. The sport of baseball and its many admirers would benefit greatly from a Littel Lamb showdown.
Great matchup, but the ultimate matchup was between Jim Gott (‘God’ in German) against Tim Teufel (‘Devil’ in German) back in the 80s-90s.
It would have been if Littell was pronounced like little, but it’s not. It rhymes with Mattel, if you’re familiar with the toy manufacturer.
Foiled! Thanks for the clarity
I appreciate the attempt. Don’t stop looking for those fun matchups. I really liked it when someone pointed out that the Royals platoon from many years ago, of Jorge Orta, and Rudy Law, was the Law and Orta platoon. Or when Billy Beane played OF for the Toledo Mudhens along with Bill Bean, and Pete Rice, making it the Beans and Rice OF.