Giants: Biggest takeaways from Will Smith signing with Braves

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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JUNE 22: Will Smith #13 of the San Francisco Giants delivers a pitch during the ninth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 22, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Giants won 7-4. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

Will Smith wasted no time making a decision in free agency, signing with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. What does that mean for the San Francisco Giants?

Closer Will Smith was the San Francisco Giants only All-Star representative during the 2019 season.

Now he’s a member of the Atlanta Braves.

While mulling over whether to accept the $17.8 million salary that came with the qualifying offer he was extended by the Giants at the start of the offseason, the Braves made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Will Smith contract with #Braves, per source: Three years, $40M with option that could make it four years, $52M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 14, 2019

With that, the first major domino on the free-agent market has fallen, and an already thin class of available relievers has lost its No. 1 option.

It’s no surprise that the Braves were the team to pay handsomely to add the standout southpaw.

As they chased a second straight division title last summer, Atlanta’s bullpen was shaky at best, which led to a pair of trades for Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene and Giants high-priced veteran Mark Melancon.

Melancon actually pitched extremely well down the stretch in the closer’s role, converting all 11 of his save chances with a 3.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 23 appearances.

In fact, that performance was good enough that it sounds like he will hold onto the ninth-inning job, even after the Smith signing.

#Braves still planning to have Melancon be their primary closer. Things can change, of course, but that's the plan. Melancon only under contract one more season (at $14M). Will Smith, his former Giants teammate, is signed for 3 w/ 4th-year option.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 14, 2019

That’s a surprising approach after Smith converted 34 of 38 save chances with a 2.76 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a career-high 13.2 K/9 in 2019, and considering the amount of money he was just paid to apparently be a setup man.

So we’ve touched on what the signing means for the Braves, but what does it mean for the San Francisco Giants?

Ahead we’ve highlighted a couple of notable takeaways from Thursday’s news, including what it means for the 2020 MLB draft and what it means for the 2020 bullpen.

Let’s get to it.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 15: Will Smith #13 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates beating the Milwaukee Brewers and getting the save at Oracle Park on June 15, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco Giants will gain a draft pick

The Giants extended a qualifying offer to Will Smith at the start of the offseason, which means they are now entitled to draft pick compensation since he has signed elsewhere.

Here’s a full explanation of how the QO compensation rules apply to the Braves for signing Smith, courtesy of MLB.com:

“A team that neither exceeded the luxury tax in the preceding season nor receives revenue sharing will lose its second-highest selection in the following year’s Draft as well as $500,000 from its international bonus pool. If it signs two such players, it will also forfeit its third-highest remaining pick. The 13 clubs that fall into this category during the 2019-20 offseason are the Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Nationals, Phillies, Rangers and White Sox.”

And here’s the section that applies to the draft pick compensation the Giants will receive:

“If a team neither exceeded the luxury tax in the preceding season nor receives revenue sharing, its compensatory pick will come after Competitive Balance Round B. The value of the free agent’s new contract has no impact on the compensation pick in both of these cases.”

The pick will be somewhere in the No. 80 range, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area:

Farhan Zaidi took a small risk in making qualifying offer but he was fine with paying Will Smith $17.8 million if he accepted. The move results in an extra draft pick for Giants, which should be one of the first 80ish selections.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) November 14, 2019

Now the focus shifts to replacing Smith at the back of the bullpen.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MAY 15: Shaun Anderson #64 of the San Francisco Giants making his Major League debut pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park on May 15, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Who will close games for the San Francisco Giants in 2020?

The Giants bullpen will have a decidedly different look next season.

Along with Smith’s departure, Mark Melancon, Sam Dyson and Drew Pomeranz were all traded at the deadline, while Reyes Moronta is expected to miss significant time recovering from a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Here’s a look at the projected Opening Day bullpen as the roster currently stands, courtesy of Roster Resource:

LR Dereck Rodriguez
MR Wandy Peralta (L)
MR Trevor Gott
MR Sam Coonrod
MR Tyler Rogers
SU Jandel Gustave
SU Tony Watson (L)
CL Shaun Anderson

The makeup of that relief corps can certainly be debated, but the overall construction speaks to a glaring need for experienced arms.

Whether it’s a wide net of low-risk veterans signed to minor league contracts, a run at one of the market’s high-risk, high-reward injury-returnees like Dellin Betances or Arodys Vizcaino, or more of a low-risk free-agent signing to add some stability, expect at least a few outside additions.

If the team doesn’t find a new closer, Shaun Anderson could get the first crack at the job. While he’s been developed as a starter, he pitched out of the Florida Gators bullpen in college and showed well after a late move to the pen last year.

Even if the Giants decide against spending big this winter, solidifying the bullpen behind a young rotation will be important for the staff’s long-term development.

2010s All-Decade Team. Next

Now that Will Smith has joined the Atlanta Braves, the San Francisco Giants have some work to do figuring out who will be taking the mound for save chances in 2020.

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