Left-handed pitcher Tony Watson said on Monday that he's retiring after 11 major league seasons. Watson is the league's career leader in holds with 246. He was an All-Star in 2014 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Watson had a 2.90 career ERA in 689 relief appearances for the Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels. The 36-year-old southpaw reliever will also finish with a 1.08 WHIP, 570 strikeouts, 174 walks and 32 saves in 648 1/3 innings pitched over his 11 seasons. Watson had a 47-29 record. He was originally a ninth-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2007 out of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The New York Mets are among many teams to check in on free-agent relief pitcher Tony Watson, who is one of the better left-handed relievers in the last decade. The 36-year-old has a career 2.90 ERA and could help many teams if he decides to continue his career. The Mets current top southpaws in the bullpen are Chasen Shreve and Alex Claudio. Watson, who has 32 career saves in 11 big-league seasons, had a 3.92 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 44 strikeouts and 18 walks in 57 1/3 relief innings with the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants in 2021. If he landed in Queens, he'd serve as a lefty setup man for the Mets and would only have fantasy value in deep holds leagues.
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tony Watson (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Tuesday. According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, the session went well and the Giants are hopeful that he will be ready for the NLCS if the team advances. Watson landed on the 10-day injured list due to a left shoulder strain just before the end of the regular season. The 36-year-old veteran was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels in July. Over 26 games with the Giants, he posted a 2.96 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP, tallying four wins and seven holds along the way.
The Los Angeles Angels on Friday traded relief pitcher Tony Watson to the San Francisco Giants, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported. Watson was part of the Giants bullpen 2018-2020 before going to the Angels. The 36-year-old southpaw struggled mid-season but has started getting his groove back, posting a 3.52 ERA with eight strikeouts and four walks through 7 2/3 innings pitched in July. Fantasy managers should expect the Giants to give Watson plenty of work out of the bullpen and potentially use him in save situations. The Angels received pitching prospects Sam Selman, Ivan Armstrong, and Jose Marte in return for Watson.
Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Tony Watson (calf) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain, the team announced on Sunday. Watson has been a solid reliever early this year, going 1-0 with one hold, a 1.08 ERA and six strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings of work. In a corresponding move, the Angels recalled pitcher James Hoyt. The strikeouts have been down this year, but Watson is a solid low-ERA option in SV/HLD formats when healthy.
The Philadelphia Phillies and relief pitcher Tony Watson agreed to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, according to Todd Zolecki. Watson pitched well last season allowing a 2.50 ERA with a 0.89 WHIP with the Giants, albeit in only 18 innings. He has some experience as a closer when he racked up 25 saves across two seasons in Pittsburgh, but the left-hander has mostly been a matchup specialist in recent years. Watson is a career-2.80 ERA pitcher, though his lack of strikeouts makes him a fantasy afterthought unless he is in line for saves. If he makes the team he could accrue some holds, but the majority of fantasy managers won't be rostering Watson.
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tony Watson earned his first save of the season in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks. Watson pitched a clean ninth inning without any strikeouts to convert his first save opportunity this season. Trevor Gott and Tyler Rogers have seen the bulk of the team's save opportunities this season, but they have both pitched quite poorly. Watson, on the other hand, now owns a 0.75 ERA. He is worth a look in roto leagues as a speculative saves sources for the last few weeks of the season.
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tony Watson (shoulder) faced hitters in game conditions on Friday for the first time this year and topped out at 88 mph. Watson's command was a little erratic, but it's understandable given his long layoff. It's not exactly a vote of confident, though, with Opening Day less than a week away. But Watson is the most experienced member of the team's bullpen and should be the favorite for saves, with Tyler Rogers being a dark horse. The 35-year-old left-hander is a low-end closing option because he could be used based on the matchups late in games, but he does have 30 career saves despite not earning one since 2017 with the Pirates.
San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Tuesday that he has two pitchers in mind to close for the 2020 season, Tyler Rogers and Tony Watson. Rogers, a 29-year-old sidearmer, was solid in very limited work last season, going 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 22.9% strikeout rate and an 0-for-2 conversion rate for saves over 17 2/3 innings pitched. Watson, a lefty veteran, had an OK 2019 season, going 2-2 with a 4.17 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 17.8% strikeout rate and an 0-for-3 conversion rate on saves over 54 IP. Kapler stressed that he wanted flexibility, stating: "We want these guys to be flexible to take down multiple innings." From a fantasy perspective, this only complicates matters. Hopefully things will become a bit clearer during summer camp, but Watson is the best bet for those speculating on saves.
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tony Watson (shoulder) threw his second bullpen session on Monday, and the next step for him will be to face hitters. Watson said his shoulder is feeling good and isn't too concerned about his arm. The 34-year-old left-hander should be fine for Opening Day as long as he doesn't have any setbacks with his shoulder. San Francisco hasn't really settled on a plan in the late innings for their bullpen, but Watson has the most closing experience in a group that includes Shaun Anderson and Trevor Gott. If you're desperate for save avenues late in mixed league drafts, Watson is the preferred target from the Giants 'pen.
