The New York Yankees need roster upgrades before the July 30 trade deadline. One area general manager Brian Cashman must focus on is supplementing the bullpen. Could San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval be a legitimate target for the Bronx Bombers?
Sports Illustrated’s Patrick McAvoy thinks the “electrifying” reliever would be a “worthy deadline addition” for New York. “Doval’s 4.38 ERA isn’t great this year, but he still is in the 97th percentile in fastball velocity, 97th percentile in whiff percentage, and 95th percentile in ground ball percentage,” he said.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that Doval could be an intriguing target among contenders as the deadline nears. “If the San Francisco Giants sell at the trade deadline, teams will pounce on 27-year-old closer Camilo Doval, despite his struggles,” Nightengale said.
Doval has saved 17 games in 21 opportunities for San Francisco this season. However, it’s been accompanied by a 4.38 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 37 innings. That pales in comparison to what he’s done to start his career from 2021-23. Across his first 162.1 innings, Doval has saved 69 games while posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 204 strikeouts.
Doval Would Help the Yankees in 2024 & Beyond
If the Yankees attempt trading for Doval, it’s the kind of move that would have potential short- and long-term benefits.
When looking specifically at 2024, he’s a hard-throwing reliever with swing-and-miss stuff that also has plenty of late-game experience. It would be good to pair him with current New York closer Clay Holmes, who was named an All-Star for the second time in his career.
Hypothetically acquiring Doval also becomes a long-term play for the Yankees because of Holmes’ current contract status. He’s earning $6 million this season and is set to become a free agent this November.
If the Yankees don’t want to re-sign Holmes, having Doval would give them an immediate (and relatively cheap) option for the backend of the bullpen. The 27-year-old is earning $770K in 2024 and will enter his first year of arbitration this winter. He can also be under team control through 2027, which would be his age-29 campaign.
Are the Giants Going to Sell at the Deadline?
San Francisco has fallen short of preseason expectations so far in 2024. They entered the All-Star break with a 47-50 record, putting them nine games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. However, they’re still in Wild Card contention. The Giants will begin the second half just three games behind the final NL postseason spot.
With a strong week or so of play out of the break, it’s easy to see a scenario where San Francisco is buying at the deadline. But could they be contemplating a different route?
While appearing on KNBR’s Tolbert & Copes show on July 11, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi shared what the front office is thinking about the current club.
“We’re 4 games under .500. Overall it’s been a real disappointment. We pushed a lot of chips in with this team. We need the players to show what the right direction is for us,” he said. “If we keep playing like we did for the last 5 days, we’re going to have to think about selling and seeing some younger players.”
Going in that direction would be a hard right turn after acquiring Robbie Ray, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler and Jung Hoo Lee this past offseason. It appears the first few days following the All-Star break will be important for the Giants’ immediate future. If it doesn’t go well, it’ll be interesting to see who they might make available in trade negotiations.
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