The Giants designated veteran relief pitcher Jake McGee for assignment on Saturday, likely ending a two-year run with the organization.
McGee, 35, joined the Giants last year and posted a 2.72 ERA as one of their most important late-inning relievers. He earned a team-high 31 saves. But this year, his ERA has jumped to a career-worst 7.17.
Manager Gabe Kapler told reporters in San Diego that he thanked McGee for his work with the club. But given his performance this year, it was “hard to find him opportunities in the same role,” he said, via The Mercury News’ Evan Webeck.
When a team designates a player for assignment, he is immediately removed from the 40-man roster. The club then has seven days to either work out a trade or release him. Given McGee’s career track record, it’s likely other teams are interested in taking a flier on him.
McGee relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, often up in the zone. To start the year, the pitch’s velocity was down below 94 mph, an entire tick slower than it was in 2021. The Giants gave the lefty a few extra days in early May to work on the pitch, and he later hit the injured list with a back strain to figure things out more.
He worked with special training balls called Clean Fuegos, and his fastball touched 97 mph again. The velocity returned, but the whiffs didn’t.
McGee’s strikeout rate on the season is 11.5%, down from 24.5% last year. Without the whiff-inducing heater, McGee allowed at least one earned run in nine of his 24 appearances.
The Giants expected McGee to once again play a major role in the back end of their bullpen, but for the past several weeks, they only felt comfortable inserting him into games in which they already trailed.
With SF, McGee appeared in 86 games and posted an overall 3.89 ERA. His last outing came on Friday in San Diego, when he allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in the eighth inning.
