How a surprise deadline deal changes the SF Giants’ pitching staff

SAN FRANCISCO — Tony Watson was out to lunch with his family in Anaheim Friday when Angels general manager Perry Minasian gave him an unexpected phone call.

Watson had seen the rumors and knew his club was considering trading pitchers such as starter Alex Cobb and closer Raisel Iglesias, but he admitted Saturday he didn’t expect to be on the move at this year’s deadline.

“Obviously everybody knows the deadline is going on if you’re playing, but I wasn’t really paying attention to it this year,” Watson said. “It wasn’t on my radar.”

Even when Minasian began the conversation, Watson didn’t know how it would end.

“I didn’t really know why he was calling me, but he said, ‘We’re moving you to San Francisco,’ and there was kind of an awkward silence for about five to 10 seconds,” Watson said. “I said, ‘Wow, that’s great.’ Started thinking about the standings, the playoff push and the relationships we’ve built.”

The trade came as a mild surprise for anyone who follows the Giants closely, especially considering left-handers José Álvarez, Jarlín García and closer Jake McGee have played a significant role in helping San Francisco build one of the deepest bullpens in the majors this season.

Watson’s arrival Saturday allowed the Giants to option a fourth left-hander, rookie Sammy Long, to Triple-A Sacramento and gives the club a well-regarded veteran presence with experience pitching in October.

“In the last couple of weeks, (Watson) has been feeling good and we’ve been watching his velocity creep up to the 92-to-94 range which is really a great sign for him,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said Friday. “Even at one or two ticks below that, he can be a really effective reliever and when he’s got plus velocity to go along with that changeup and the command he has, he can get big outs for you down the stretch.”

Watson was a trusted high-leverage option for Bruce Bochy and Gabe Kapler as he pitched in 153 games for the Giants from 2018-2020, but it’s likely he’ll slid into more of a middle relief role for the remainder of the season. In 36 appearances this season, Watson has posted a 4.64 ERA, but in his last 12 games, his ERA is 2.25 and opponents have slugged .171 against the 11th-year veteran.

“The stuff has ticked up over the last couple of outings and I don’t really know what that’s a credit to, but I’ll take it,” Watson said. “I’m just going out there, sticking to my routine and trying to go wire-to-wire.”

With Long headed back to Triple-A, the Giants plan to stretch the young lefty out and build up his stamina to potentially help the major league club as a starter in an emergency situation down the stretch. The club has several other bullpen options at Triple-A including right-handers Zack Littell, John Brebbia and Camilo Doval and lefty Caleb Baragar, so the Giants are in decent shape from a depth standpoint.

Three weeks before the trade deadline, Zaidi discussed the possibility of acquiring another starter to help cover innings over the final two months of the season, but with Logan Webb pitching well since returning from the injured list and veteran Aaron Sanchez now available out of the Giants’ bullpen, the club has a handful of options to turn to if any injury effects the rotation.

Aside from Long, right-hander Tyler Beede is a candidate to start in an emergency scenario for the Giants while veteran lefty Scott Kazmir is expected to rejoin the Triple-A rotation upon returning from a stint with Team USA at the Olympics.

The Giants obviously would have benefitted from acquiring an ace such as Max Scherzer, but when the Dodgers traded for the three-time Cy Young Award winner, Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris remained focused on adding a right-handed slugger (Kris Bryant) and another bullpen arm.

A Giants team that’s relied on pending free agents Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto in its rotation all season will continue to do so with the hope the additions of Bryant and Watson have the type of ripple effect that will make the club a more complete team as it pursues its first National League West title since 2012.