In need of bullpen help, the Milwaukee Brewers appear to be zeroing in on one of the better players on the market.
According to Robert Murray of The Athletic, the Brewers and San Francisco Giants have had discussions about left-handed reliever Will Smith in recent days. While no deal is said to be close, the two organizations are scouting each other’s players.
The Brewers relied heavily on their bullpen during their successful 2018 season. The problem they’ve run into is that the three players they leaned on haven’t been as good this season. In Corey Knebel’s case, he won’t pitch again in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Jeremy Jeffress has seen his ERA rise near four, while Josh Hader, while solid, has given up nine home runs in 45 innings.
The left-handed Smith has a 2.17 ERA in 2019, striking out 54 batters in 37.1 innings while walking just eight. Smith would be a rental, and he has experience with the Brewers, having pitched there from 2014 to 2016.
Smith is unlikely to be the only big name leaving the Giants before July 31. He’s also likely to demand a pretty high asking price.
