SF Giants reliever coming off career-worst season drawing trade interest

SF Giants reliever Camilo Doval is coming off a career-worst campaign in 2024. Despite this, there is reporting out there that teams are interested in trading for the right-handed flamethrower. Could he really be on the move?

This reporting comes via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle who posted on the social media platform X that there are some teams expressing interest in Doval.

Teams reportedly interested in SF Giants reliever Camilo Doval

2024 was Doval's worst career year and it was not all that close. He finished the season with a 4.88 ERA in 59 innings pitched and had an absurdly high walk rate of 5.9 per 9 innings. Unsurprisingly, he lost the closer role to Ryan Walker during the season who seems primed to reprise that role in 2025.

It is important to remember that Doval was one of the best closers in the game in 2022 and 2023. He had an ERA of 2.53 and 2.93 respectively and racked up 66 saves total across the two seasons. Doval even earned an All-Star nod for his efforts in 2023.

Unfortunately, one year relievers can have it and the next year they simply do not. We have always known that, in the inimitable parlance of Mike Krukow, Doval has a tendency to get a wild hair up his nose. But it seemed like in the past he was able to bear down and grind out a save even if he did not have his best stuff. That ability seemed to escape him in 2024.

Even with the struggles, it makes sense why other teams would be interested. Doval is still just 27 years old and he still has the talent and raw stuff to be a closer. He is probably just a mechanical tweak or two away from getting back to the pitcher he was in 2022 and 2023.

It is not completely clear what the Giants could get for Doval. Maybe if he was part of a package they could land a player at a need for them like shortstop or a starting pitcher.

The Giants could still decide to hold on to Doval. They may believe that they can get him back to the pitcher he was in 2023 and feel he can still be a valuable part of their bullpen.

No matter what, the Giants should be open to teams interested in Doval. They need to improve any way that they can and that includes making trades even if there is risk involved.