San Francisco Urged To Move On From Previously Elite Closer in Offseason

The San Francisco Giants right-hander hasn't proven to be a Big League arm this year.

Sep 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval (75) throws a pitch during the tenth inning against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park. / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

There haven't been many positives for the 72-78 San Francisco Giants during the 2024 campaign.

In fact, while the past few years haven't exactly gone as planned, this might be their most disappointing campaign in recent memory.

Along the way, there have been players who haven't played as well as most expected. The Giants' struggles are, in large part, due to that.

Right-hander Camilo Doval perfectly fits that description. At points throughout his career, there was a strong argument that Doval was on pace to be one of the better relief pitchers in Major League Baseball someday.

He posted a 2.93 ERA in 2023 and a 2.53 ERA in 2022. Fast forward to 2024, and the 27-year-old hasn't been half of what he once was.

Doval has a 5.17 ERA, an abysmal 1.65 WHIP, and has walked 36 hitters in 54.0 innings pitched.

His control has never been great, but this is a new low for the Dominican Republic native.

San Francisco sent him to Triple-A to get some work done but recalled him in August, giving him another chance to prove he belongs in the Big Leagues.

He hasn't done that in recent outings, allowing at least one earned run in six of his last eight appearances.

The Giants should've already been in the market for relief help this winter, as all contending teams need to be, but Doval's struggles will now require them to focus on the bullpen more than they should've had to.

It's gotten to the point that San Francisco may have to decide to part ways with the flame thrower.

That's what Nick San Miguel of FanSided suggested. Miguel urged the Giants to "cut their losses" and see if another club would be interested in trying to revive his career.

"It is fair to wonder what his future on the team will be following this year. Perhaps he and the team are simply spiraling at the end of a disappointing season and the hope is that after the reset provided by a long offseason he can recapture his old form next year... Plus, the Giants have a chance to move on from Doval while he still has some value. He is still just 27 years old and has several years of team control left."

The idea that Doval could turn it around isn't outrageous. He's been very good before.

Given his prior success, expect a team to show interest if San Francisco makes him available in the offseason.