The San Francisco Giants paid top dollar to upgrade their bullpen in the offseason with the addition of Mark Melancon, but that bullpen suffered a blow on Friday. Will Smith decided he will undergo Tommy John Surgery to repair the sprain and strain of the UCL in his pitching elbow.
Smith, the Giants top lefty heading into the 2017 season, dealt with elbow soreness earlier in spring training then returned on Monday before quickly departing. The elbow soreness never went away and after visiting with multiple doctors, Smith will undergo TJS surgery by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. While Attrache isn't as well-known as Dr. James Andrews, he has performed multiple Tommy John surgeries.
Last season, the Giants acquired Smith before the Aug. 1 MLB Trade Deadline with the hopes of stocking up their bullpen. Across 18 1/3 innings pitched, Smith struck out 27 batters, walked nine, and surrendered just 13 hits. While San Francisco primarily used him as a LOOGY, he performed very well and posted a 2.95 ERA and would have played an even bigger role this coming season.
Now with Smith out until mid-June of 2018, Steven Okert, Josh Osich and Ty Blach will compete for spots as a lefty reliever in the bullpen. Okert offers the best stuff and has allowed just two hits with a 3/2 K/BB ratio across seven shutout innings this spring.
Blach, who competed for the fifth starter job this spring but lost out to Matt Cain's veteran experience, could serve as a long-reliever and lefty option. Blach could hold some fantasy value, but that would only come if he became a starter later in the year and he doesn't strike out enough batters to be worth keeping until that opportunity comes.