It may be time for the SF Giants to cut their losses with unreliable reliever

The SF Giants came into 2024 thinking they had a very solid closer in Camilo Doval. As 2024 comes to an end it seems that they may very well be looking for a way to get rid of him in the offseason after a year filled with struggles.

It is worth remembering that Doval was an All-Star for the Giants in 2023. Last season he recorded 39 saves and posted a 2.97 ERA. The year prior he had 27 saves and a 2.53 ERA. He was one of the best closers in the game.

There was nothing to suggest that impending struggles were coming, but so goes the life of an MLB closer. One year you have it, the next year you don't. It was clear early on this year that Doval was not quite his usual self. The high walk rate was a definite red flag and it ended up costing him as he blew more saves and slowly lost the confidence of manager Bob Melvin.

Camilo Doval may be a lost cause after 2024 struggles

There was hope that maybe Doval's demotion to Triple-A was the wake up call he needed to set him straight. That has not been the case as his ERA has ballooned to 5.17 and he has not had a scoreless outing in 4 straight appearances.

It is fair to wonder what his future on the team will be following this year. Perhaps he and the team are simply spiraling at the end of a disappointing season and the hope is that after the reset provided by a long offseason he can recapture his old form next year.

That is a possibility, but there is no guarantee he can find that old form. Relievers can lose their confidence quickly so it is possible that Doval may never recapture that irrational confidence and feeling of invincibility that a closer needs to succeed.

Plus, the Giants have a chance to move on from Doval while he still has some value. He is still just 27 years old and has several years of team control left. Many teams would be excited to bring him on as a reclamation project to see if they can turn him back into an effective closer. In return the Giants could probably get a decent prospect.

Ryan Walker has looked really good in the 9th inning since taking over closer duties and may be establishing himself as the closer of the future. The Giants also should have bullpen veterans like Tyler Rogers and Jordan Hicks as well as newcomers like Erik Miller and Randy Rodriguez going into next year. This would comprise a pretty solid back end of the bullpen.

The question is whether the Giants think they can get Doval back to being his old self. If the answer is yes, then you hope this year was an aberration. If the answer is no, you trade him and move on. We will just have to wait and see what the Giants do with one of their biggest disappointments in a year full of them.