Why Greene makes sense for the Giants
A great post by our colleagues over at Around the Foghorn detailed the Giants bullpen woes from last season.
The Giants bullpen had a 4.34 ERA last year, one of the worst in baseball. They saw a decrease in their strikeout rate and an increase in their walk rate from the year previously.
They could certainly use some help in the bullpen, and it just so happens the Tigers have a player that fits all of their needs.
Shane Greene has been profiled as a trade candidate all offseason.
Greene will make roughly $1.7MM his first time through arbitration. He is inexpensive and controllable through 2020.
Greene posted a 2.66 ERA last season, with a 9.71 K/9. In a bullpen that featured Sam Dyson and Mark Melancon in the late innings, Greene could come in and step into the closing role.
For a team that appears to be contending, adding another hard-throwing reliever couldn’t hurt.
And for a team that also appears to be trimming the budget, getting Greene at under $2MM isn’t bad either.
The Giants have shown a willingness to move prospects in order to make their roster better. While they do not have a very good farm system, there is still enough talent in there that the Tigers could find a few pieces that they like.
There are a couple different directions the Tigers could go when pursuing a trade with the Giants.