SF Giants campaigning for veteran reliever to make NL All-Star team

The SF Giants have set the rotation for the weekend, with Robbie Ray scheduled to make the final start before the All-Star break. That would rule him out for the All-Star game, but the Giants are campaigning for Tyler Rogers to take his place on the roster, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

SF Giants campaigning for veteran reliever to make NL All-Star team

Ray will represent the Giants, along with Logan Webb and Randy Rodríguez, on the NL All-Star team. Webb and Ray have been among the best starting pitchers in the league.

In fact, Webb has a pretty solid case for the NL Cy Young Award if the season were to end today. Of course, the same could be said about a number of pitchers, including Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On the other hand, Rodríguez has arguably been the best reliever in baseball, posting a 0.69 ERA in 39 outings. While Camilo Doval has served as the closer, Rodríguez has often been tabbed to throw in the highest-leverage spots. It is not easy for a non-closing reliever to make the All-Star team, but the 25-year-old pitcher was certainly deserving of it.

If Ray does pitch on Sunday before the All-Star game, he would be ineligible for the game and replaced on the roster. Of course, the selection still counts, so if his contract has any incentives for making the All-Star team, that would still be paid out.

That could create an opportunity for another pitcher to make the team. The Giants hope that Tyler Rogers merits serious consideration. This happened with Robert Suárez of the San Diego Padres taking Chris Sale's spot on the roster.

I get why he was selected. Suárez leads baseball with 26 saves, but I do think a selection like this tends to overvalue saves. The righty pitcher has had a nice year, with a 3.72 ERA with 41 strikeouts against 12 walks in 38.2 frames.

However, that type of performance would not normally merit All-Star consideration if you remove saves from the ledger. He may not even be the top reliever in many bullpens. That is certainly true for the Giants, who have Rodríguez and Rogers.

Rogers is having a career year on the mound. He has a 1.62 ERA in 44.1 innings. While he does not tally high strikeout totals like many relievers, few are as effective and durable as the seven-year veteran. It took a long time for Rogers to even get a chance in the majors, and he has put together a very nice career. You could make a strong argument that he should join the NL All-Star team next week, and the Giants are already putting the word out there.