Wednesday BP: Who will lead the Giants in saves?

Hello and happy Wednesday. I hope it’s a lovely day for all of you.

The San Francisco Giants don’t currently have a closer. After blowing leads in his last three appearances — and giving up 11 runs while recording just 4 outs in the process — Trevor Gott is out as closer. At least for now.

There’s a good chance he’ll return to the role at some point, but Gabe Kapler made it clear that it’s not in anyone’s best interest to have that be immediate.

So now the Giants are left to decide who will slot into Gott’s role. They didn’t have to answer that question on Tuesday, as they carried an 8-1 lead into the ninth inning (insert joke about that being a save opportunity with the Giants here).

But sooner or later they’ll need to send out a closer. Who will it be?

It’s easy to say they’ll just go with closer by committee. Traditional bullpen roles are a bit antiquated, and this Giants front office and coaching staff is seeking to be anything but that.

Yet at the same time, Gott was clearly the capital-C Closer. He had earned all but one of the team’s saves, with the only exception being an extra-inning game when Gott was used in a high-leverage ninth inning.

So it seems likely they’ll keep it going with a traditional closer. Here are the top five Giants relievers by FIP, so you can see the options.

1. Sam Selman (2.37 FIP)
2. Tyler Heineman (3.12 FIP)
3. Tyler Rogers (3.62 FIP)
4. Tony Watson (4.47 FIP)
5. Jarlin García (4.52 FIP)

So who will lead the team in saves? I’d like to put in a vote for Heineman, but I suspect Rogers will be the answer.

Did Barry Bonds hit a home run today?

Of course.

August 19, 1996: Against the New York Mets, Bonds hit a 3-run home run in the 1st inning off of Pete Harnisch, scoring Marvin Benard and Bill Mueller. It gave the Giants a 3-1 lead, and they would win 5-4. It was his third game in a row with a homer, and his 35th of the year.

August 19, 2003: Against the Atlanta Braves, Bonds hit a walk-off, solo home run in the 10th inning off of Ray King to give the Giants a 5-4 win. It was his 38th homer of the year.

Old, random MCC article for you to read

In praise of MLB’s blackout rules (Dec. 26, 2014 — Doug Bruzzone)

Giants links

• Roger Munter asks if the rebuild can be successful just using the farm (There R Giants)
• Grant Brisbee on what the real cost of the weekend failures was for the Giants (The Athletic, subscription required)
• Maria Guardado on Willie Mays’ time in the Negro Leagues (MLB)
• Henry Schulman talked with Robb Nen, who sympathizes with Trevor Gott (SF Chronicle)
• Brian Witt on the Giants being adamant that they weren’t throwing at Mike Trout on purpose (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Shayna Rubin on why the Giants and A’s might be good trade partners (Mercury News)
• Andrew Baggarly on Trevor Gott knowing where to turn for support (The Athletic, subscription required)
• Alex Pavlovic on how the Giants will make changes at the closer spot (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Dalton Johnson on Joey Bart being the last of the top-four picks from 2018 to make his debut (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Mark W. Sanchez on the Giants explanation for Shaun Anderson throwing near Mike Trout’s head (KNBR)
• Dieter Kurtenbach on Trevor Gott’s blown saves all being part of the Giants master plan (Mercury News)
• Dalton Johnson on why Fernando Tatis Jr. should be the dream scenario for Giants prospects (NBC Sports Bay Area)

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone.