In the last installment of “Red Sox Trade Targets,” we took a look at Tigers right-hander Shane Greene.
However, the bullpen naturally could use more than one arm, and definitely could use one coming from the left-hand side. That makes Giants left-hander Will Smith a prime candidate for Dave Dombrowski to acquire this summer.
The Red Sox were rumored to be interested in him back when he was a Brewer in 2016 but opted to go with Brad Ziegler instead, as Smith was shipped from the Brew-Crew to the Bay Area.
While Ziegler pitched just fine in Boston, he was only there for one season. On the other hand, Smith has been in San Francisco since the deal went down back in July of 2016.
With the Giants that year, he made 26 appearances and went 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA.
Why do I bring up his 2016 numbers? Well, because following up that season, Smith missed all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. It’s a surgery that’s prone to scare the casual fan, especially when the pitcher is now just months away from 30.
We’ve seen it work both ways post-operation. Some pitchers come back and get stronger, while others never truly get back to form. For Smith, he’s been nothing short of brilliant in the year-and-a-half since going under the knife. In 77 outings since his surgery, Smith is 3-3 with a 2.50 ERA –– that includes his 1-0 record with a 2.38 ERA through 23 appearances this season.
Where does he fit in this Boston bullpen?
The beauty of Will Smith is that you can plug him in anywhere and he should be just fine. In those 77 appearances since the start of 2018, he’s racked up 27 saves. So if Alex Cora wants to continue his “closer by committee” bullpen, Smith has experience in the ninth inning. If he wants to have a true closer, he can either opt for Smith or give him the seventh or eighth inning –– both of which he’s seen action in as well.
What would it take to get him?
Smith is a rental player, unlike Greene. While his numbers are very impressive, and his services are probably needed more so than Shane Greene’s, Smith is another guy who should be relatively cheap.
Red Sox get: LHP Will Smith
Giants get: LHP Josh Taylor, 2B Brett Netzer, RHP Dan Runzler
Josh Taylor actually has really impressive numbers this season in Pawtucket and was able to showcase his skills for the big league club this past week as well. He has an electric, put-away fastball that can top off at 98 MPH. His secondary stuff is solid, but he’s not ready to be a crucial bullpen piece in the heart of a pennant race.
As for Netzer, the Red Sox drafted him in the third round back in 2017 out of UNC. Since then, they’ve been waiting for him to get it together with the bat. In three minor league seasons, Netzer’s slash-line is just .267/.323/.351 and isn’t necessarily improving in 2019. He’s been just fine defensively at second base, but it seems as if Michael Chavis may be taking that spot by the throat for the foreseeable future. Thus making a prospect like Netzer expendable.
Runzler, on the other hand, isn’t much of a prospect anymore. He’s made 97 appearances at the MLB level since 2009 and, at 34 years old, he doesn’t provide anything more than bullpen insurance being down in Pawtucket. His sub-2 ERA with the PawSox this season should make him at least worthy of being a throw-in piece, and in doing so he returns to the team that drafted him in the ninth round back in 2007.
For the Red Sox, they get the left-handed reliever that they’ve been trying to make do without all season. Even though Bobby Poyner, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Josh Taylor have all made appearances this year, that’s not really impressive depth. Smith is a sure thing and only comes at the expense of one of those “depth” pieces.
