San Francisco Giants Rumors: Dodgers interested in closer Will Smith

The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have not completed a trade in more than a decade. Could that change this summer?

The San Francisco Giants have one of the most valuable assets on this year’s trade market in closer Will Smith.

In fact, he was recently ranked No. 1 on the annual “Top 50 Trade Candidates for the MLB Trade Deadline” article from Jeff Todd of MLBTradeRumors.com.

It’s not hard to see why.

The 29-year-old is a perfect 20-for-20 on save chances this season, and he’s been utterly dominant in the process, posting a 2.01 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 31.1 innings for a career-high 13.5 K/9.

He is also making an extremely team-friendly $4.23 million this season in his final year of arbitration.

A legitimate case can be made that he’s the best reliever to hit the trade block since Aroldis Chapman was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2016 for top prospect Gleyber Torres and others.

It would not qualify as a surprise for any contender to be linked to Smith leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. Except for one…

#Dodgers, #SFGiants aren’t ruling out the prospect of making a Will Smith trade, source says. The rivals haven’t paired up on a deal since @Sweendog9 to L.A. for Travis Denker in 2007. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 25, 2019

The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have not completed a trade since Mark Sweeney was sent to the Dodgers in exchange for Travis Denker all the way back on Aug. 9. 2007.

The last time a trade of any real significance was made between the two clubs is when outfielder Candy Maldonado was swapped for catcher Alex Trevino prior to the 1986 season.

The Dodgers have a clear need for bullpen help ahead of closer Kenley Jansen, and they have the stocked farm system to get a deal done.

It’s worth questioning whether the Dodgers would have to pay a steeper price than other contenders and whether they would be willing to meet such an asking price.

At the same time, it’s not hyperbole to think that Smith could legitimately be the missing piece for a Dodgers team that has come so close to winning it all in recent years.

It’s going to be an exciting summer for the San Francisco Giants, that much is certain.

The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers have not completed a trade in more than a decade. Could that change this summer?

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