San Francisco Giants Should Consider Trading Yusmeiro Petit
By Brad Berreman
@bradberreman24
Brad Mangin-Getty Images
Madison Bumgarner got most of the postseason accolades for the San Francisco Giants on their way to their third World Series title in five years, and rightfully go given his historic performance. But Yusmeiro Petit was also a key part of the Giants’ pitching staff during their playoff run, with three wins and a 1.42 ERA in four appearances, including three shutout innings in Game 4 of the World Series.
Petit had a solid regular season for San Francisco in 2014, with a 3.69 ERA and terrific peripheral numbers (10.2 K/9; 1.7 BB/9) over 39 appearances (117 innings). He made 12 starts, including his final six outings, and he posted a 3.04 ERA in four starts from Sept. 9-Sept. 25, with 32 strikeouts and just four walks in that span.
Matt Cain had season-ending surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow in early August, and he had surgery on his right ankle in late September. His absence, coupled with Tim Lincecum’s inconsistency, gave Petit an opportunity to start more games than expected and he largely made the most of it. But with Cain expected to fine for spring training next February, and Lincecum due to make $18 million in the final year of his untradeable contract in 2015, Petit looks likely to fall right back into a non-descript middle relief role.
Petit only made nine major league appearances from 2010-2013, and he spent most of the 2012 and 2013 seasons in the Giants’ minor league system. In his last significant major league action before this year, Petit went 3-10 with a 5.82 ERA over 23 appearances (17 starts) with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009. He will turn 30 in November, so Petit’s value as a long reliever and spot starter may never be higher than it is right now.
Petit made $845,000 this past season, and he’s in line for a slight raise since he is arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason. He is clearly a replaceable talent, with a modest 0.9 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) this year, so a savvy general manager like Brian Sabean will surely be dangling Petit as a potential trade chip this winter even though it wouldn’t be restricting financially to keep him.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +.
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