San Francisco Giants: 5 Under the Radar Acquisitions

A former adversary during the 2014 World Series, Herrera may be looking to take a one-year pillow contract this offseason after a rough second half in 2018 with the Washington Nationals.

Again, AT&T Park and the Giants would make for a great destination for any pitcher looking to pad their stats and venture back out to the open market next offseason.

He still posted a 2.44 ERA last season when he was healthy (he missed time with a torn foot ligament). However, advanced stats painted a rougher picture, as he posted 3.95 FIP – likely due to an uptick in walks and fewer strikeouts than he has posted in prior seasons.

The righty would add depth and back-end potential to a bullpen that already features Will Smith, Tony Watson, and Mark Melancon. He features a fastball, which is his bread and butter, that he complements with a changeup and slider.

So what are some of the reasons Herrera struggled and may come cheap? Well, he’s not getting ground balls at the rate that he used to a few years ago, and his fastball has lost two ticks since he joined the league.

These are clearly points for concern, but Giants pitching coach Curt Young and bullpen coach Mark Gardner did have success with helping pitchers such as Dereck Rodriguez, Derek Holland, Watson, and Smith have career years last season.

He would also be a potential trade chip if he performs well, as every contender needs extra bullpen arms around trade deadline time. If he underperforms again, the contract isn’t too handicapping anyways as MLBTR projects him to earn a 1 year/$8 million contract this offseason.