The Giants announced Thursday that left-hander Jake McGee, whom they designated for assignment over the weekend, has been placed on unconditional release waivers. San Francisco also claimed lefty Aaron Fletcher off waivers from the Pirates and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento. Lefty Jose Alvarez was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
McGee, 35, is in the second season of a two-year, $5MM contract that pays him $2.5MM and contains a $4.5MM club option (with a $500K buyout). He’s still owed the balance of that salary and the full weight of the buyout. It’s quite rare for players with any salary of note to be claimed off outright waivers or release waivers during the season, making it likely that he’ll clear and become a free agent. At that point, any team could sign McGee and owe him only the prorated league minimum for any time spent in the Majors. The Giants would remain on the hook for the remainder of his salary.
The contract looked brilliant last season, when McGee turned in 59 2/3 innings of 2.72 ERA ball. The lefty led the Giants with 31 saves, struck out 24.3% of his opponents against a tiny 4.2% walk rate, and served as a key member of a bullpen that propelled San Francisco to an MLB-best 107 wins.
Things haven’t gone nearly as smoothly in 2022, however. Though his velocity has remained mostly the same, McGee’s strikeout rate has plummeted to 11.5% as his walk rate has jumped to 6.3%. Beyond the freefall in his strikeout rate, McGee has been unable to strand runners this season, with his 49.7% left-on-base rate checking in miles below the 74.4% career rate he carried into the season. The end result is a disastrous 7.17 ERA through his first 21 1/3 innings.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle spoke to McGee in the wake of the move. The southpaw called it a “letdown” to be cut loose, given how much he’s enjoyed his time there, but he took the move in stride and was understanding of the team’s decision. Once he clears waivers, he’ll be able to sign with any team he wishes, and there are quite likely several clubs who’d be in the market for an effectively free look at a reliever with McGee’s track record.
Fletcher, meanwhile, will step into McGee’s place as a lefty relief option for the club. The 26-year-old split his time between Pittsburgh and their top affiliate in Indianapolis, making nine appearances with the Bucs and 14 in Triple-A. Fletcher allowed nine runs in 11 2/3 innings with the big league club, striking out six while walking four. He allowed just six runs (three earned) through 18 2/3 frames in Indianapolis, however, apparently catching the Giants’ attention in the process.
While Fletcher has yet to have success in brief big league stints with the Mariners and Pirates, he owns a 2.56 ERA in parts of four minor league campaigns. He’s typically posted gaudy ground-ball numbers throughout his professional tenure, including a 55.2% clip in Triple-A this season. Fletcher is in his second minor league option year, so he can bounce on and off the active roster for the foreseeable future.
As for Alvarez, he’ll be out for an extended period. The veteran southpaw just landed on the IL on July 5 with elbow inflammation, and he’ll now be ineligible to return until early September. Signed to a one-year guarantee heading into 2021, Alvarez posted a sparkling 2.37 ERA through 64 2/3 innings. The club exercised a $1.5MM option on his services for this year, but he posted a 5.28 ERA in 21 outings. He’ll now miss at least the bulk of the second half of the season, and it remains to be seen whether he’ll be healthy enough to take the mound again before hitting free agency next winter.
Such is the life of a one-pitch pitcher. I wish Jake lots of luck—he certainly helped the Giants while in SF—but he’ll catch on with another team.
I’m sure he’ll get a look from multiple teams, but I think this could be the end. He’ll be 36 in about 3 weeks. And if he really had something left I doubt the Giants just release him like this. I always liked the guy and hope I’m I’m wrong.
velo still there
Sure, but that mid-90s FB just isn’t as effective as it was 10 years ago. Every team seems to have a guy that throws triple digits, and multiple mid-to-upper-90s guys. Batters are more used to that kind of heat, and generally aren’t impressed by mid-90s anymore.
Dodgers reclamation?
Again?
Hes a lefty he’ll get another chance and who knows he may turn it around because relievers are like field goal kickers and cockroaches in that when you think they are dead they come back.
True, but he only has that high-fastball and when he can’t control it, he’s in trouble. And when he can control it, more and more hitters are able to catch up to it.
No back home to Tampa – rays bullpen a mess
Zaidi needs to listen and do what Laurie said. He can’t continue dumpster diving.
Marty Lurie discusses disconnect between Giants’ philosophy and fan base
By Jake Montero July 13, 2022
© Orlando Ramirez | 2022 Jul 7
You might think that a 107-win season would be enough of a proof of concept for Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler’s baseball philosophy, but not everyone has bought in.
The fans seem frustrated, and not just because the team is hovering around .500 before the All-Star break. San Francisco’s desire to platoon consistently is only popular when the team wins. When they don’t you hear loud complaints asking why All-Star Joc Pederson isn’t in the starting lineup or why Brandon Belt is being pinch hit in a three-hit game.
Though there are other variables, fan frustration seems to be affecting butts in the seats, with the Giants currently sitting at 13th in overall attendance after the greatest regular season in franchise history.
KNBR’s Marty Lurie sees a disconnect between the fanbase and the organization’s philosophy.
“You don’t sit around saying ‘Boy I can’t wait ’till the fifth inning so Slater can have an at bat! And Yastrzemski will sit down,’” Lurie said on KNBR Wednesday. “You know, you sit there saying ‘I can’t wait until Bonds comes up in the fifth inning to see if he’ll knock one out. I can’t wait ’till Jason Schmidt gets the seventh inning to see if he’s going to strike out 14.’
“Yeah there is a disconnect in that way and the way they play the game, because not everyone is playing Strat-O-Matic when they come to the ballpark. You like to see some consistency. And now the games are exciting, but you like to know if your guy is gonna be up or if your guy is gonna pitch six or seven innings.
“Look, the TV ratings and the radio ratings are great, but it’s a time that they have to take a hard look at it, because the attendance is down a little bit. It’s a little like Candlestick now. You get a great weekend crowd but during the week it’s not so good.”
Lurie believes another big reason for the attendance issues is a lack of marketable stars on the roster.
“Now, the marketing of the team is starting to take a hit a little bit right now and now the team has hit a lull and I think they’ve got to realize that they’ve got to get some stars. They’ve got to get some people that have been there before. Some people that have been in the World Series before, that have been in a pennant race before. You just can’t always bring in — you talk about lightning in a bottle — you can’t always do that. But they like to do it and they’ve gotten away with it.”
With all that said Lurie believes the Giants are still a playoff team, and will be able to generate more excitement in the second half if they make a couple moves at the trade deadline.
“But now with this trade deadline coming up, you’ve got to give me a hitter. Give me one guy, a DH, someone that I can count on, that I know is going to be in there. They’re not going to change the way they do it, they’re going to platoon, they’re not going to bring in a new outfielder and sit three people down. And you need a bullpen guy, some bullpen guys who have been there before. And you’ve got to have a closer, you’ve got to name a closer.
“So, they’ve got a lot to do, and the trade deadline is huge for me. I’d like to see a couple of guys who have been there before added to the team.”
I haven’t heard Strat-O-Matic in a long time but you’re right about everything
I’m 66. I played strat-o-matic as a kid. Great game for growing up in the 1960s. In fact I still have the original game box cards and all from 1966.
I much prefer Strat-o-matic baseball to what is being played on the field today!
Marty Lurie is not anyone that I would be taking baseball advice from.
Fans just aren’t going to the ballpark like they used to. As they were winning A LOT last year, attendance didn’t change much. Lurie BEFORE last season didn’t approve of their philosophy. After 107 did we hear Lurie admit, at all, to that he may have been a little off base. No. But now that this year is not mirroring last year, Lurie pops off. Mcgee, Rogers and much of the bullpen has had huge regression. They led baseball in pinch hit homers last year and just recently hit their first of this year. Did Lurie call these regressions? Sure regression was expected but not to this level. Did Lurie predict so many key injuries? Keep this in mind, if TV and radio ratings are good, and attendance has lessened, doesn’t that indicate some things? People just stay home and watch an award winning broadcast team. We’ve become accustomed to staying home more because of several reasons. Lower income, health safety, an effed up unpredictable society. Lurie is always whining about something and the Giants have underperformed so he believes now is the time to whine more than ever. He’s a hindsight superstar.
PS I’ve followed the Giants since 60s and I probably had more fun watching them since maybe I started. They were exciting to watch and fun. To see them plug and play as they did and have the brand they exhibited was very rewarding. Still have half the season left. Maybe it happens again.
+ 1,000 !
When you look at the lineup, you’re right, not a star among them. And those batting averages are so poor that even a few decent OBP don’t level them out. Brandon Belt was a Wish&A Prayer that hasn’t worked out—not for $18.9. Craw is back to bouncing out to second most of the time and killing rallies with offensive DPs. If the rest of the lineup was strong the team could just hope Craw lives up to his phenomenal defense, but even that’s slipping. Ruf? The catchers (a complete joke). Longo constantly injured. LaStella (a bad contract from the beginning).
These issues might have been partially addressed in the of-season with an everyday RH bat (Story) or even LH Freddie Freeman: an everyday bat. They didn’t and this winter will be a major reckoning for Zaidi/Harris in giving this team at least two stud bats to go with a damn-good rotation.
I agree about Crawford. I expected some regression, but I didn’t expect him to follow up his best season ever with, what’s so far, his worst. That swing change story is suspect.
Don’t agree about Belt. He struggled coming off the IL, as a lot of players do, but he still has a 116 OPS+, and has been hitting lately. Over the last 2 weeks he’s hit .345/.406/.621 with a 1.027 OPS.
Also disagree about both Story and Freeman. Story isn’t hitting well. Wilmer has an OPS+ 26 points higher than him Belt, Estrada, Longo, all have a higher OPS+. As do all the OF. Only Crawford has a lower OPS+. Ruf’s 95 OPS+ beats Story by 1 point.
And while Freeman is hitting for the Dodgers, I’m glad the Giants aren’t going to be paying him $27M 5 years from now when he’s 37.
Yes, but Story—who is a sure-handed glove at 2b, ss and 3b—has hit 15 Hrs, driven in 58 and has stolen 10 of 10 bases. Would he have improved us at any or all of those positions when Longo, Craw or Estrada needed the IL or just a sit-down recovery day or two? I think so.
Belt is just fragile—always has been. And at his QO of $18.9 a waste of good money. He’s a great glove and when healthy, perhaps worthy of a roster spot. But he’s NEVER healthy, can’t run and too damn streaky. Giants need consistency; Freeman would have brought that day in and day out, both with glove and bat.
Pete:
Story is a nice player, but he’s making $20M this year, $22.5 in 2023-25, $25M in 2026 and 2027, with a $5M buyout of a $25M option in 2028, only putting up numbers of a good utility player.
IMO that was an overpay, and not by a little. I’m not sure if the perceived value of Story isn’t related to playing at Coors.
15 HRs for a RHH is not that many playing at Fenway. 11 of those he hit at home. It would be a different story (no pun intended) playing at Oracle. Granted, the park is different now, but Story has only 3 HRs in 45 games at Oracle.
By comparison, Flores has 13 HRs, much better hitting numbers overall, and the Giants are paying him $3.5M. I would have been happy had they signed Carlos Correa, but I’m glad FZ passed up on Story.
His contract, like Freeman’s. is the kind that limits flexibility later on. So far FZ has been smart avoiding those kinds of deals.
Cool story bro
Good point
but it’s not just the stars that we would want to watch on a consistent basis…
it’s young players that we wanna see get a chance and develop
That’s kind of lost in this platooning thing as well…
one of the reasons why the Giants became unwatchable for me during their recent struggles … is there was nobody that was coming up that I really wanted to see bat …
well now there is David Villar
I agree, need at least 1 star player, like Posey or Bryant last year, to carry the team and create excitement during games, otherwise it’s the same sad Giants, cannot score on a bases loaded or leadoff double. Bullpen, I think they’ve some good ones in the minors.
A little off topic, but Kruk & Kuip are a national treasure. One of the main reasons I look forward to tuning in.
However, for me to drive all the way to the ballpark and pay big $, I really wish they’d go out and land a young big star. They have a ton of $ available, the ballpark is paid off, etc.
The type of player the kids immediately start asking their parents to buy them a jersey. The Dodgers are stacked with stars, the Padres have Tatis Jr and Machado, etc. As a fan of Farhan Zaidi, I’m patiently waiting.
I hear ya, but who’s that young big star? Unfortunately, because of the system of players under team control, there just aren’t any young FAs, big stars, or not.
For a team to have someone like Trout or Soto, they have to be lucky and land him before he develops. 24 guys were drafted before Trout. And Soto, who was an international FA, was signed at 17 years old, and has been described as coming out of nowhere when he started to blossom.
But there’s 30 MLB teams and only a handful of guys like that. It’s just luck.
You’re right, those type of players are generational type of talents that are very difficult to land.
Like I said, I appreciate what Farhan Zaidi is doing, I just want to see the club spend some $ on premier talent, as it looks like the farm system is still years away. I can already see the Dodgers landing Arenado next year if he opts out, which he very well may.
I agree. With Belt and Longo gone next season, I want to see FZ spend some money this coming offseason. Arenado apparently loves StL, so I don’t worry too much about him going to LA.
The dodgers are waiting for Machado to opt out
I was just on a conference call with Rob Manfred and we’ve decided that in spite of todays news regarding the passing of Ivana Trump, we will have a full slate of games as scheduled. We’ve made patches available to all teams and the initials IT will be sketched into the pitching mounds.
Susan Slusser is a hottie. Those cat eyes.
no lefty bp option, not good for sfg
Jarlin Garcia and Sam Long are still there. Losing Alvarez, also a lefty, to the 60 day IL really hurts though. Not sure what they see in Fletcher.
Well, it’s a pretty fair bet – they see something. Enough to take a flyer, at least…
Perfect pick up for a team like Detroit who are about to trade away 2 or 3 guys from their pen. McGee has been solid for years, and 21 innings is not enough of a sample size to write him off as spent.
Giants trade for Drury and Castillo now and sign Judge in the off season