Report: San Francisco Giants “Aggressively Pursuing” a Left Handed Relief Pitcher

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly pursuing a left handed relief pitcher, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. There are a few options still available on the free agent market, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

The San Francisco Giants seem to be on the lookout for a new left handed bullpen addition, according to reports. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is also reporting that two possible left handed options, Boone Logan and Jerry Blevins are looking for guaranteed deals around 2 years and $6 million a year. There are also reports from Jon Morosi that another option, Travis Wood, has an offer on the table from one major league team to start.

Bobby Evans spoke earlier this offseason about the team’s outlook of their entire bullpen.

“Our focus on what we have is encouraging, with (Derek) Law, (Hunter) Strickland, (Josh) Osich, (Steven) Okert, Will Smith, Cory Gearrin, and George Kontos,” Evans said. “It’s a good core and we’ve got a lot to work with…At the same time it’s going to be a competition. Clearly roles will have to get defined. There’s certainly frontrunners within this group and that’s good for us.”

Smith, Osich and Okert are each left handed, but only Smith has an extended track record in the big leagues. Osich struggled to stay healthy in 2016 and Okert was brought up late in the season. The Giants clearly would like to bring in another veteran to add to the competition in Spring Training.

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One option that is still out there is former Giant Javier Lopez. Lopez pitched for the Giants for the last 6 and 1/2 seasons, helping the Giants win 3 World Series rings. His ability to get out some of the most potent left handed hitters in all of baseball made him an invaluable member of the team. He also shared the Willie Mac Award this last season with teammate Brandon Crawford, given annually to the team’s most inspirational player.

Lopez struggled in 2016 after six years of consistency rarely seen from relief pitchers. Lopez did mention earlier this offseason that he would consider a return to San Francisco if it was an “acceptable fit.”

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