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Jake McGee

Giants Activate Evan Longoria, Place Jake McGee On IL

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The Giants reinstated third baseman Evan Longoria prior to this afternoon’s matchup with the Rockies. He’s at the hot corner and hitting third against Colorado starter Chad Kuhl in his season debut. In a corresponding move, reliever Jake McGee has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to lower back tightness.

Longoria underwent surgery to repair a ligament tear in his right index finger late in Spring Training. That procedure wound up costing him the first five weeks of the regular season, and the Giants have patched third base together in his absence. Five different players have started multiple games there for San Francisco, with Wilmer Flores and Jason Vosler picking up the bulk of the time. The group has acquitted themselves quite well, with Giants’ third basemen combining for a .277/.330/.436 slash line that translates to a 120 wRC+ (indicating offensive productivity 20 percentage points above the league average). That ranks 13th among the league’s 30 teams.

San Francisco is off to another nice start. Their 18-12 record is unsurprisingly short of last season’s 107-win pace, but it’s still the fifth-best mark in the National League. The entire NL West has come out of the gates well, though, and the Giants sit a few games behind the Dodgers and Padres in the division standings.

Longoria was a big part of the team’s incredible 2021 campaign. The veteran hit .261/.351/.482, improbably rebounding from four straight pedestrian seasons with a bounceback year at age 35. A shoulder injury kept the three-time All-Star to playing in exactly half the team’s games, but that marked Longoria’s best production on a rate basis during his time in the Bay Area.

McGee was also a pivotal player in last year’s success. The left-hander tossed 59 2/3 innings of 2.72 ERA ball, saving 31 games in the process. It was a continuation of the strong work he’d shown in the shortened 2020 season with the Dodgers, but he’s scuffled in the early going this year. McGee has been tagged for 12 runs in his first 10 1/3 frames, striking out just six batters on a personal-low 8.4% swinging strike rate. The team hasn’t provided a timetable for his return.

Giants Activate Jake McGee, Option Thairo Estrada

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The Giants will activate southpaw Jake McGee today, bringing their nominal closer back to the roster in time for a tune-up before the postseason begins next week.  To make room on the roster, infielder Thairo Estrada has been optioned to Triple-A, per Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com (via Twitter).

McGee returns after two lost weeks due to a right oblique strain. Fortunately for McGee and the Giants, it was on the milder side of oblique problems, so McGee is able to return even before the regular season is out, let alone the playoffs.  After being part of the Dodgers’ World Series team last year, McGee is looking to capture his second ring in as many years, and the veteran lefty has been a major part of the Giants’ success.

McGee has a 2.72 ERA/3.45 SIERA over 59 2/3 innings out of San Francisco’s bullpen, with a 4.2% walk rate that ranks among the league’s best.  That excellent control has helped McGee overcome some hard contact, and with a .228 BABIP, it’s fair to say McGee that had some good fortune behind his 2021 numbers.

Though the Giants are pretty flexible with their late-game relief alignment, McGee has gotten the bulk of save chances this year, with 31 saves in 36 opportunities.  Seven other pitchers have also gotten saves for the Giants this year, with Tyler Rogers leading the second-choice pack with 13 saves, and rookie Camilo Doval stepping up in recent days with three saves.  In short, manager Gabe Kapler will have plenty of bullpen arms to work with as the Giants head into October, as the club is more apt to roll with the hot hand or play matchups rather than deploy McGee in a traditional closer role.

Giants Place Jake McGee On 10-Day Injured List

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The Giants have placed reliever Jake McGee on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Because the injury placement is backdated to Tuesday when McGee first felt the muscle acting up, he will be available to return to the active roster by September 24 at the earliest.

Not long ago, it would have been scoff-worthy to suggest that McGee would find a role as the nominal closer for the team with the best record in the Majors – but here we are. McGee was one of the Rockies’ ill-fated bullpen signings back in 2017, and by the time that $27MM contract had run its course, McGee had fallen so far out of favor that Colorado released him before the third season was up. The southpaw posted an unfortunate 5.54 ERA over those two seasons in Colorado with unusually high walk and home run rates.

He’s rejuvenated now, however, having performed well for the Dodgers last season before catching on in San Francisco this year. He owns a 2.72 ERA/3.35 FIP across 62 games totaling 59 2/3 innings with an impressive 31 saves. Since leaving Colorado, his walk and home run rates have returned to normal levels – a 4.2 percent walk rate coming in well below the average mark and a 2.9 percent home run rate being exactly league average. McGee is also striking out a solid 24.3 percent of opponents.

Without McGee, the Giants will turn to Tyler Rogers, Tony Watson, and Dominic Leone to close games, writes Slusser. Rogers has played the part already this season, notching 12 saves while appearing in a league-leading 71 games for Gabe Kapler’s club. Leone has been used more as an opener of late, but he’ll be an option from the right side as well. Watson, a trade deadline acquisition this season, can close from the left side, should the match-ups lean that way.

McGee’s roster spot went to Jay Jackson, who was recalled today from Triple-A. Jackson has spent a decent chunk of time on the active roster and begun to earn Kapler’s trust at times. The 33-year-old has pitched in 22 games for a 3.95 ERA across 20 2/3 innings. Given that Jackson had totaled just 34 2/3 innings in the Majors prior to this season, he’s been a pleasant surprise in limited action for the Giants.

Giants Designate Trevor Gott For Assignment

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The Giants announced that they’ve designated right-hander Trevor Gott for assignment and optioned lefty Sam Selman to their alternate training site. The pair of moves makes room for lefty Jake McGee and righty Logan Webb to be reinstated from the injured list.

This is the second time since the offseason that the Giants have designated Gott, who lasted just one day on their roster this time. The Giants selected Gott heading into Monday’s game against the Phillies, though he didn’t make an appearance. Now, with McGee and Webb back from a brief stay on the COVID list, he’s once again in DFA limbo.

The 28-year-old Gott is in his third season in the San Francisco organization, with which he saw significant action in 2019, totaling 52 2/3 innings. The Giants’ reliance on Gott has dwindled since then, however. All told, Gott has pitched to a 5.46 ERA (with a much better 4.23 SIERA) and a 24 percent strikeout rate against a 9.2 percent walk rate in 64 1/3 frames as a Giant.

COVID Notes: 4/18/21

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The latest on the coronavirus:

Latest Updates

Earlier Notes

  • Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernández was reported to have tested positive for COVID-19 on April 13. Fortunately, Hernández is no longer feeling symptoms of the virus, reports Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). He’ll have to remain in quarantine for ten days from the time of his positive test under the league’s 2021 health and safety protocols. That he’s currently asymptomatic is obviously good news for Hernández personally and seems to bode well for his chances of returning to play in relatively short order once his mandatory quarantine is up.
  • Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull has been in the health and safety protocols for almost a month, having first been placed on the COVID-19 injured list on March 20. He has been building back arm strength in recent days, though, and manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of the Detroit News) Turnbull could return to action early next week. It’s possible the Tigers will pivot to a six-man rotation at that point, adding Turnbull to a group currently consisting of Matthew Boyd, Michael Fulmer, José Ureña, Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Hinch said the organization hasn’t yet made that decision. If the Tigers were to go back to a five-man starting staff, Fulmer (who began the season in relief) or Ureña (who has struggled over three starts) would seem the most likely options to be bumped to the bullpen to make room for Turnbull. [UPDATE: Turnbull will start on Wednesday against the Pirates, per Jason Beck of MLB.com (Twitter link).]

Quick Hits: Miley, Kirk, Giants, Posey, McGee

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The Reds have gotten some unfortunate injury news over the last few days, but it appears as though southpaw Wade Miley won’t miss any time after a hamstring strain forced him out of his last Spring Training outing.  As per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link), Miley threw close to 35 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday and is now slated to start for the Reds tomorrow.  After signing a two-year, $15MM contract with the Reds in the 2019-20 offseason, Miley’s first season in Cincinnati was a veritable wash, as he posted a 5.65 ERA and was limited to only 14 1/3 innings due to groin and shoulder injuries.  Miley and the Reds are certainly hoping for a return to form, as Miley is expected to eat innings and provide some veteran experience at the back of the rotation.

More from around the league…

  • Between Alejandro Kirk’s impressive 25-PA big league debut last season and his huge numbers this spring, the catcher is forcing the Blue Jays into a decision, The Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm writes.  Kirk looks to have more upside both in the present and future than incumbent backup Reese McGuire, but McGuire is out of minor league options, and thus can’t be sent down to the minors without being exposed to waivers.  Chisholm makes the argument that adding Kirk to the MLB roster “seems like a no-brainer,” all things considered.  The Jays have enough other minor league catching depth to arguably afford losing McGuire, and Kirk is a better fit for a win-now team like the Blue Jays, even to the point of sharing playing time with Danny Jansen rather than being just a backup catcher.
  • A number of Giants-related topics are covered by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser as part of a reader mailbag, including a question about Buster Posey’s future.  This is the final guaranteed year of Posey’s contract, but Slusser doesn’t think Posey is considering retirement following the 2021 campaign.  If anything, Posey “looks rejuvenated this spring after” opting out of the 2020 season, “and goodness knows, he’s very competitive. I don’t think he’s lost an ounce of that fire.”  Whether 2021 could be Posey’s last season in San Francisco is another matter, as the Giants don’t seem likely to exercise their $22MM club option on Posey for 2022, but may look to re-sign him to a less-expensive short-term deal with an eye towards transitioning him into an eventual post-playing role within the organization.
  • From that same piece, Slusser feels Jake McGee looks like the Giants’ top choice for save situations, though the team probably won’t officially anoint McGee as the closer out of a preference to be as flexible as possible with reliever usage situations.  The left-hander signed a two-year deal worth $5MM in guaranteed money back in February, and while McGee has closing experience in the past, he has mostly worked in a setup role over the last four seasons.

Giants To Sign Jake McGee

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FEB. 22: It’s a two-year, $5MM guarantee for McGee, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. McGee will earn a $2MM salary this year and $2.5MM in 2022, when he could also make $2MM in performance bonuses. There’s a $4.5MM club option or a $500K buyout for 2023.

FEB. 9: The Giants are signing free-agent reliever Jake McGee, Robert Murray of Fansided reports. It’s a two-year deal worth $7MM for the Wasserman client, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

San Francisco will be the third National League West stop for the left-handed McGee, a 34-year-old who divided the previous five seasons between the Rockies and Dodgers. McGee was not particularly successful in Colorado, which acquired the ex-Ray before 2016 and then re-signed him to a three-year, $27MM guarantee in the ensuing offseason. As a result of his struggles as a Rockie, McGee had to settle for a low-paying deal with the Dodgers last summer.

The McGee signing worked out brilliantly for the Dodgers, who ran roughshod over the competition during the regular season and then earned a World Series title. While McGee was hardly the most instrumental part of the team’s run, he did give Los Angeles an excellent 2.66 ERA/1.81 SIERA over 20 1/3 innings.

The Dodgers’ version of McGee went to an almost all-fastball approach and averaged 95 mph on his heater – his best since 2014 – while posting eye-popping strikeout and walk percentages of 41.8 and 3.8, respectively. His K-BB percentage (38.0) ranked second among relievers behind Brewers Rookie of the Year winner Devin Williams. McGee also finished toward the top of the majors in such Statcast categories as expected batting average against, expected weighted on-base average against and expected ERA. On the other hand, he was near the bottom in exit velocity and hard-hit rate.

Now that he’s heading to the division-rival Giants, McGee will be the most established southpaw in their bullpen. The team does have other options, however, including Jarlin Garcia (who, like McGee, kept runs off the board at a great clip in 2020) and Sam Selman.

Pitching Notes: Paxton, Jays, Thor, McGee, Bass

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The Blue Jays were among the teams in on southpaw James Paxton before he agreed to a contract with the Mariners over the weekend. However, Toronto never made a pitch to Paxton (via Gregory Balloch of Sportsnet 650). “They showed a lot of interest, and I had interest too, but they never came forward with an offer,” Paxton said. Paxton was a first-round pick of the Jays in the 2009 draft, but after the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement, he joined the M’s as a fourth-rounder in 2010. The now-32-year-old, who’s known as the Big Maple because of his Canadian roots, will earn a guaranteed $8.5MM in his return to Seattle in 2021.

  • Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard remains on track in his recovery from March 2020 Tommy John surgery, per Tim Healey of Newsday. Barring any setbacks, Thor should rejoin the Mets’ rotation sometime in June or July. Without Syndergaard, they’re slated to open 2021 with Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman and David Peterson as the top four in their starting staff. There isn’t a set fifth member of the group yet, but the team does have interest in free-agent righty Taijuan Walker.
  • Lefty Jake McGee could close games for the Giants this year, manager Gabe Kapler told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters Wednesday. The 34-year-old McGee, whom the Giants signed to a two-year, $7MM contract last week, has saved 45 games since his career started in 2010, though the former Ray, Rockie and Dodger hasn’t picked up a save since 2018. The Giants went to a closer-by-committee approach last season with five hurlers totaling at least one save, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see McGee join others in finishing games for the team this year.
  • Righty Anthony Bass is the favorite to close for the Marlins, Craig Mish of SportsGrid suggests. Bass signed a two-year, $5MM guarantee with the Marlins last month after a productive season in Toronto, where he notched a 3.51 ERA/4.09 SIERA with a 62.3 percent groundball rate in 25 2/3 innings. He could now be in line to succeed Brandon Kintzler, who closed for the Marlins in 2020 but signed with the division-rival Phillies last week.

Dodgers Sign Jake McGee

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The Dodgers have announced the signing of lefty Jake McGee. McGee is signing right onto the 40-man roster and will presumably have a spot on the active roster to open the season.

Injured righty Jimmy Nelson has been placed on the 45-day injured list, thus freeing a roster spot. Nelson will miss the entire season after undergoing back surgery, as has been anticipated for several weeks.

McGee was just cut loose by the division-rival Rockies even as he prepared for the final guaranteed season of his contract. The Colorado org will remain on the hook for the pro-rated portion of his $9MM salary, less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends on the Dodgers active roster.

It’d certainly sting for the Rox to see McGee thrive in Los Angeles, but the southpaw will need to figure things out to make that happen. Soon to turn 34, McGee is coming off of a messy 2019 campaign in which he was likely fortunate to carry a 4.35 ERA despite permitting 2.4 home runs per nine innings.

McGee’s swinging-strike rate dropped to 8.6% as he continued to surrender fastball velocity to the hands of time. It’ll be interesting to see what the Dodgers have in mind to prolong McGee’s career, now that he’s no longer bringing the elite speed he once did. He turned increasingly to his slider last year with some success, but still went to his trusty heater in four of every five deliveries.

Rockies To Release Bryan Shaw, Jake McGee

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The Rockies have requested release waivers on relievers Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter) and Thomas Harding of MLB.com (Twitter link). Barring the extremely unlikely event of a claim, both players will return to the open market.

When last these veteran hurlers tested the waters, they found irresistible bait dangling from the Rockies’ line. Both were lured to Denver with three-year, $27MM deals in December of 2017. Closer Wade Davis followed soon after with a three-year, $52MM pact.

At the time, the hope was that installing a trio of established late-inning arms would put the Rox over the top. It’s not as if any of the hurlers took down much more than was anticipated entering the offseason. But it was a significant risk to add all three. The Rockies were obviously prepared to accept the downside scenario, but surely didn’t think it could work out as poorly as it did.

Shaw, long a high-quality setup man, has limped to a 5.61 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 over 126 2/3 innings in Colorado. The 32-year-old struggled in Cactus League action this spring. McGee, soon to turn 34, carries a 5.54 ERA in his 92 2/3 frames since re-signing. While he owns a sturdy-enough combination of 8.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9, he has allowed two dingers per nine over the past two years.

So, is Coors Field to blame? Shaw was actually quite a lot better at home than on the road last year, so it doesn’t seem to explain much in his case. The opposite is true of McGee. Then again, the more revealing split may be in the platoon department. He was tuned up by right-handed hitters (.326/.390/.663) in 2019.

This move won’t really save the Rockies any money, but it’ll clear the deck for other players and wipe out some final earning possibilities for each of the two veterans.

Shaw’s deal promised him $9MM this year, so he’s still due the pro-rated portion of that. He’ll also get a $2MM buyout on a $9MM option, which would’ve been guaranteed with just forty appearances (had it been a full 2020 season). McGee needed 65 appearances (full season) for his $9MM option to vest. Instead, he’ll earn a pro-rated portion of his $9.5MM salary for 2020 and will also still be due a $2MM buyout.

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