The SF Giants seemingly have a new closer in the bullpen

Do the SF Giants have a new closer? On Friday night, Dylan Smith got the first save opportunity for a Giants reliever since the trade deadline, and he closed out the game to secure a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Bullpen depth has run about as thin as I can remember. The Giants traded away Caleb Kilian and Erik Miller to the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox, respectively. Kilian led the Giants with eight saves, and Miller had picked up a few more recently.

No one has truly run with the opportunity to close out games. The Giants began the year with Ryan Walker as the closer. They then shifted to a closer-by-committee, which is usually a sign that a team does not have a true closer. Kilian and Miller were part of that committee, along with Keaton Winn.

Winn had some rough appearances in that role, but overall, he remains one of the club's best options. He came into the seventh inning of Friday night's game, suggesting that he is a tad lower on the bullpen hierarchy. Sam Hentges has been used as the setup man lately.

Dylan Smith has been one of the few pleasant surprises in the bullpen for the SF Giants

The plan now is to get the ball to Dylan Smith in the ninth inning. Who had that on their bingo card before this season began?

The Giants acquired Smith in a trade with the Tigers at the start of the year. The 26-year-old reliever had been on the waiver wire at the time of the deal, so the Giants sidestepped the waiver line by making a trade.

They churned the waiver wire a lot a few years ago, but they have not been nearly as aggressive since Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations. They should not turn their back on that channel entirely, and Smith is a good example of that.

The right-handed pitcher has posted a 2.95 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, and a 2.18 SO/W rate across 21.1 frames this season. He has a mid 90's fastball that he pairs with a mid 80's sweeper. The sweeper has been a nice tool in Smith's arsenal, and the fastball carries the type of velocity that closer's often need.

With less than two months to go in the season, the Giants are using this time as an open audition for the bullpen. There aren't many relievers you can point to and pencil into next year's bullpen, but Smith is one of them. Keaton Winn and Sam Hentges might be the others. That could be the end of the list.

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