The Giants’ acquisition of Trevor Gott came without fanfare and at virtually no cost; he was acquired from the Nationals last February for cash considerations, part of a seemingly endless churn at the back end of the 40-man roster in Farhan Zaidi’s first season at the helm. Gott might find himself back on the trade market this season (if play becomes feasible), and he’d figure to return quite a bit more than cash this time around.
Gott had a somewhat promising debut with the 2015 Angels, riding a monster 57.2% ground ball rate to a 3.02 ERA in 48 games. He was flipped to Washington that offseason for Yunel Escobar, but his career went off the rails. In parts of three seasons, he compiled a brutal 7.39 ERA over 28 innings with an uninspiring 24:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Quietly, he found a new gear in San Francisco last year, even if his 4.44 ERA wouldn’t suggest it. His strikeout rate spiked to 26.6%, well above his 17.8% mark in Washington and nearly twice as high as that of his time in Anaheim. The 27-year-old also made significant improvements as a strike-thrower. His first-pitch strike rate was up to 60.3%, right around league average. Getting ahead early in counts helped him cut down on walks substantially.
Gott has always been a fastball-reliant arm, but he seemingly changed the shape of his heater. Formerly a sinkerballer, Gott pivoted to heavy use of a four-seam last season, per Brooks Baseball. Predictably, his once elite ground ball numbers vanished, but he more than offset that with a jump in strikeouts. His mid-90’s four-seam fastball doesn’t have the spin and life of the game’s best heaters, but it nevertheless proved a better swing-and-miss offering than his sinker. On the surface, it also seems he had an easier time controlling the straighter offering.
So why was Gott’s run prevention mediocre? Sequencing luck, mostly. Despite holding opposing hitters to a .207/.270/.304 slash, he only stranded 62.5% of baserunners in 2019, an abnormally low mark that figures to rebound. If he can strand runners at something approaching the league average rate of 72.3% (pitchers’ strand rates often vary wildly season-to-season), Gott could be a mid-3.00’s ERA type.
The shortened season and potential expanded postseason would give the Giants a better shot of hanging in contention. Even in this environment, they won’t be considered any kind of favorite, though. Gott would make for a solid, under-the-radar addition to the summer trade market if San Francisco struggles. He comes with three additional seasons of team control, and arbitration salaries for middle relievers are relatively modest.
He wouldn’t return any sort of Godfather offer, but three-plus cheap seasons of an average or better reliever would be plenty valuable to a more immediate contender. Subtle breakthroughs like Gott’s are precisely what Zaidi and the SF front office have hoped to achieve with their constant reshuffling at the back of the roster.
astrosarecheaters2017
Unnecessary post.
briefgalaxy983
You weren’t forced to read it. In times like these I appreciate anything.
PutPeteRoseInTheHall
facts
2020WorldChampions
The Giants.Lol
rightyspecialist
Hey, that’s my line. Lol
The Human Toilet
preach! MLB trade rumors has done an excellent job.
statman
Agree … any way you get at it, Gott has to be considered a good Giants get. Gott was very good at getting grounders but also got a good amount of guys to go after his go-to get-em-out pitch, thus getting guys to swing and miss. Gott got guys to go gunning after pitches high in the zone, greatly increasing his K rates. No doubt a good get, Gott would also be a great get if a contender wanted to give the Giants a good guy in return for Gott.
bravesfan
Right, no one forced u to read… us real fans appreciate any baseball related topics. So move along
Chris 75
I really enjoy articles like this. It doesn’t always have to be about the stars all the time.
Dorothy_Mantooth
I personally enjoyed it. With no games being played, MLBTR is doing an exceptional job of bringing us fresh, new content and I’m learning a lot about other teams and players that I don’t follow regularly. Keep up the great work!
PutPeteRoseInTheHall
You can say that again
Vladguerrerojr20
You’re unnecessary. Don’t listen to this weiner, there’s literally millions of us that appreciate your site and posts. Keep up the good work MLBTR!
Eatdust666
Lmao
PutPeteRoseInTheHall
You tell em
DockEllisDee
Lol, he said “weiner”
SalaryCapMyth
ROFL! There are a lot of times I wish the MLBTR community would show greater kindness and mercy, but not here. These writers are pumping out articles at a prodigious rate for our sake. Every article can’t alwayd be the most interesting topics but they are really trying.
AS_pinc
The actual unnecessary post is you saying unnecessary post.
holycowdude
Lol. Speaking of unnecessary posts! I actually enjoyed reading it, so to each their own.
PapiElf
Is the “15 Players to Protect From an Expansion Draft” series still going?
Anthony Franco
Yep, it’s just limited to weekdays because the full-time staffers (Tim, Steve, Jeff and Connor) are putting it together. Once every team’s protected players are voted on, we’ll run a mock two team expansion draft.
The Human Rain Delay
If he didnt get injured this post would be all about Reyes Moronta….. straight filthy
DarkSide830
i wouldn’t trade Moronta though. he’s a piece you hold onto.
Brixton
Bad teams don’t need relievers
DarkSide830
…for when they become good. hey, could’ve told them that with Will Smith last year. Moronta has plenty of control. there is no need to cash in that chip right now.
youngTank15
You mean player to hold onto.
ThePeople'sElbow
got hurt because Bochy, supposed bullpen managing expert ran him into the ground.
ghostrobot
And the lie detector determined that was a lie
Angels & NL West
Zaidi is sneaky. Keep an eye on him and the Giants. He walked into a tough situation with little flexibility and has quietly started to build a 40 man roster and minor league system. The Giants have a long way to go and a lot of tough competition within the division but Zaidi may be onto something in the next few years.
SalaryCapMyth
Yes he is. I would know. I’m a Braves fan that couldn’t understand how they took on nearly all of Melancin’s contract. NEARLY all because Winkler went back to the Giants and he was payed a bit more than $3 million. It wasn’t a terrible trade but taking on all that money from Melancin was glaring.
spooky
I don’t believe the Giants have that far to go. The division is very tough with LA being the best team in the league and Ari being an underrated playoff contender but the Giants aren’t too far behind like the boners (righty) wish to believe.
agentp
How about MLBTR advocate for a MLB season and focus on the guys that want to play, not only what Blake Snell has to assert.
The constant sky is failing commentary here from many and zero positivity towards the inevitability of a season is very telling.
Folks who care about getting the country back on track want to work and the ones who prefer handouts never want to work. We’ve just taken the veil off and can see who is who now.
We know what the real pandemic is and it’s not COVID.
ThePeople'sElbow
back to the coal mines right agentp?
you putting you own self interest above the well being and concern of others is a tired act. furthermore your politics are boring.
in what world are nail salons, massage parlors, gyms, barbershops going to rescue the American economy? Leisure and hospitality and construction are the industries that have been hit the hardest – what makes you think people who are still apprehensive are going to spend money to boost those industries?
get over yourself.
PutPeteRoseInTheHall
Snell is making a lot. He’s being a little sissy. who cares if youre only getting like half or wutever. just PLAY
Billy Mumphreys Downfall
Yeah! Just shut up and play for me while I sit on my lazy rear end and stuff my face with snacks and pour beer down my gullet from the safety of my home! America darn it! This will surely lift spirits and defeat this disease!
ThePeople'sElbow
I love hearing privileged white boomers tell others how to live. The generation responsible for overpopulation, climate change, tripling the national debt, etc.
youngTank15
The industrial revolution started in the early 1800’s and how did they create overpopulation?
SalaryCapMyth
Your statement is filled with partisan rhetoric that is only going to continue force the divide in this nation.
For my part, I want the nation to open back up and get to work. I just want to do it by following the guidelines of the medical community. I don’t want to prosper at the expense of others.
Billy Mumphreys Downfall
Problem is they aren’t all going to follow guidelines and we all know what part of the country that is. What’s going to happen is because of them we will eventually end up where we were in March and thus making the economy even worse than if we just took it slow Nation wide
rightyspecialist
Real Pandemic?
90,000 American lives lost
I.5 Million infected
Asinine comments like this portray the real American picture moving forward. MAGA wearing, anti-science, anti-expert, anti-academia, Fox News watching Buffoons who are too dumb to see what’s happening, will continue to ignore the scientific experts. Subsequently, because of their lack of social distancing, masks , etc , Covid -19 will become impossible to contain. A half a million Americans could die
Baseball guys like stats and data riddles. Here’s one:
The United States makes up Approx 6% of the world population. Yet , we have 25% of the worlds infection rate.
Q: What does that mean?
A: A lot of things
First, it means that US containment of the virus; testing ,tracking , quarantine etc has been a complete failure. The primary cause being a sort of paralysis of the federal emergency response system. And that that happened because of sitting President that was in completely over his head. In the middle of an election year, Torn between pandering to his anti-science anti-expert base and a rising death toll the Governments response has half-measured at best. Testing? No way! This president is terrified of testing and the subsequent increase in infection rates. He views testing as a noose around his neck in an election year. His self interest and obsession with political success is not only nauseating. It’s downright frightening
He just wants it to all magically just disappear. And unfortunately he has a constituency that feels the same way.
Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere.The sheltering was to prevent the medical infrastructure from imploding. Period. It did absolutely nothing towards making the virus ‘Go Away’
SalaryCapMyth
Outstanding post. You really took some time to spell it out for some of these guys. I really, really wish they understood what the point of sheltering was for. But when you have Fox news telling it’s viewers that the curve flattening is proof that sheltering was not necessary, you know you are watching someone’s agenda being pushed.
youngTank15
You can’t be pro science and believe in more than 2 genders or have no gender.
spooky
Lol, Righty
scottn59c
Gott has looked good as a Giant when healthy. I actually thought he might have the stuff to be their closer this year. They need good, healthy arms in the back of the pen, having traded away Will Smith and Sam Dyson. Reyes Moronta is a good reliever, but is injured and who know what he’ll look like when he works his way back.
vincent k. mcmahon
They didn’t trade Will Smith. The Giants let him walk in FA.
ThePeople'sElbow
well they gave him a QO so there’s draft pick compensation.
SalaryCapMyth
The Giants are rebuilding so they don’t need good arms. They need arms that will soak up innings.
2020ball
And would probably prefer those inning-soakers also were good arms.
ThePeople'sElbow
don’t need good arms? do you understand how baseball works?
mlb1225
They don’t “need” good arms but it would help them. Not help them win directly, but being able to be good enough to bring back something in trade.
Ericls
What team in their right mind would a trade this season? MLB is probably going to be a half-season and teams are going to have a revenue loss due to the social distancing in the crowds coming to see the game.
Fact is the majority of the teams and fans aren’t even going to see this as a real season. They will probably see this a a rebuilding season.
agentx
It will be interesting to see whether teams approach in-season trades differently.
Probably close to zero trades requiring non-contenders to eat salary. Not sure how GMs will evaluate prospect capital either if no minor-league games are played.
californiaangels
I remember when the Angel’s traded him away I was so mad.
Padres458
Gott seems like hes worth nothing, Samardzija is by far the Giants best trade chip. Quite possible hes gone before the regular season starts.
brucenewton
The Giants desperately need him to eat some innings this year. His salary might be tough to move anyway.
ThePeople'sElbow
Shark’s contract expires after this season. So…
Yep it is
Liked the article. One of the few that wasn’t about a NY or Boston team.
DockEllisDee
just for kicks I swiped through the articles on my app until I came across an article concerning NY or Boston. I counted 23 articles before I found one and it was written several days ago. I also get fatigued hearing about the big market minutiae but this site is nowhere near as guilty as some of your cable network related sites.
2020ball
The last article on here about either city was 3 1/2 days ago. Did you think you were on ESPN.com?
PutPeteRoseInTheHall
facts
jessaumodesto
Still can’t beleive Frank Costanza passes away
Backup Catcher to the Backup Catcher
Gott is a luxury the Giants don’t need now. Should be traded for something of value. Whole Giants team either long in the tooth or quickly getting there. Not expecting Yaz to duplicate his 2019 season in future seasons. Also, it’s time to move on from Belt and put Posey at 1B.
wu tang killa beez
San Francisco will need a long rebuild before they can contend again, they remind me the phillies almost 10 years ago, they held on too long on their winning core and they all just became old and overpaid