Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Another day, another dominant performance on the mound, and another trade report. This is the new normal for Will Smith, the closer of the San Francisco Giants.
On Tuesday night, Smith punctuated a 4-2 win over the Rockies by the side on 11 pitches to pick up his 21st save of the season. Smith has been a force to be reckoned with, appearing in 33 games without a blown save and posting a 1.95 ERA.
Closers will be a hot commodity at the trade deadline, and Smith, a to-be free agent on a team out of the hunt, is a prime candidate for a trade to a team looking to acquire a lock-down reliever for the postseason. One team that’s taking a look is reportedly the Minnesota Twins.
While the San Francisco Giants’ interest in dealing Madison Bumgarner remains clear, the Minnesota Twins haven’t engaged with them in high-level talks in recent weeks, a source with knowledge of discussions tells ESPN. Giants reliever Will Smith is on the Twins’ radar as of now.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 26, 2019
The Twins, at 51-27 and atop the AL Central by a commanding 8.5 games, have a combined ERA of 3.97 and could use a pitcher of Smith’s caliber to solidify their bullpen. Blake Parker and Taylor Rodgers have dealt with most of the ninth-inning duties for the Twins, but neither is Smith. The Twins’ current duo has converted 19-of-23 save opportunities, while Smith has been perfect. Parker and Rodgers have allowed 53 hits in 50 1/3 innings, while Smith has allowed 17 hits in his 32 1/3 innings.
This isn’t Smith’s first time on the MLB rumor mill, the Giants acquiring him in 2016 from the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline to try to fix a bullpen that couldn’t keep a lead. Three years later, Smith has taken his place among the most dominant closers in baseball.
