San Francisco Giants: Arodys Vizcaino is the perfect free-agent target

It’s going to be a busy offseason for the San Francisco Giants with several key players hitting free agency and multiple holes to fill on the roster.

The bullpen was an area of strength for the San Francisco Giants in 2019, at least until they shipped out a trio of relievers at the trade deadline and then lost several more to injury down the stretch.

With Will Smith and Tony Watson headed for free agency and Reyes Moronta expected to miss the bulk of the 2020 season recovering from shoulder surgery, the entire relief corps is in flux.

Guys like Shaun Anderson, Tyler Rogers, Jandel Gustave and Sam Coonrod have made a strong case to be part of the Opening Day roster next year, but there are still a lot of bullpen spots to be sorted out.

Team president Farhan Zaidi has shown an affinity for hard-throwing relievers, and he will no doubt continue to look for good value in the form of reclamation projects and buy-low veterans.

One pitcher who fits the bill is Arodys Vizcaino.

The 28-year-old was a top prospect during his time in the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs organizations before returning to Atlanta where he emerged as a quality late-inning option.

The hard-throwing right-hander converted 49 of 59 save chances while posting a 2.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 in 180 appearances during the four-year span from 2015 to 2018.

He’s battled shoulder issues the past two seasons, and he finally underwent surgery to clean up his labrum and remove scar tissue from his right shoulder joint in April.

After earning $4.8 million in his final year of arbitration in 2019, he may have to settle for an incentive-laden deal with a minimal base salary, and that would be a risk worth taking for the San Francisco Giants.

With Smith headed for greener pastures and Moronta on the shelf, the closer role will need to be addressed, and a healthy Vizcaino could be the answer to the team’s ninth-inning question.

If he can be had on something like a one-year, $2 million deal that includes significant incentives for appearances and games finished, Arodys Vizcaino could be an ideal target for the San Francisco Giants this winter.