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Giants release RHP Dominic Leone

Originally posted on FanNation Giants Baseball Insider
By Marc Delucchi | Last updated 9/10/22

The SF Giants have unconditionally released right-handed pitcher Dominic Leone. Leone had been placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation on Friday, but less than 24 hours later the Giants made him a free agent. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster, and after Austin Wynns was hit on the head during Friday's game, it could be a necessary move to add Wynns' replacement to the 40-man roster.

The Giants originally signed Leone as a minor-league free agent prior to last season. Leone was a standout during spring training and quickly earned a spot on the big-league roster after just seven Triple-A appearances.

Leone was fantastic in 2021. He made 57 appearances out of the Giants bullpen for manager Gabe Kapler and recorded a 1.51 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 53.2 innings pitched. ERA estimators were more skeptical of Leone's overall performance but still viewed him as a solid bullpen option (3.39 xERA, 3.08 FIP, 4.37 xFIP).

This season, however, Leone's overall numbers are far closer to his ERA estimators. In 55 appearances, Leone has a 4.01 ERA (3.71 xERA, 4.04 FIP, and 4.11 xFIP) with 52 strikeouts across 49.1 innings. While those numbers are fine for a middle reliever, they undersell how much Leone has struggled over the past couple of months. Since July 21st, Leone has a 5.40 ERA in 17 appearances with an alarming 12 walks in 16.2 innings pitched. Opponents are crushing him over that span for a .303/.405/.546 triple-slash.

Over his nine-year MLB career, Leone has been a solid, but erratic middle reliever. He has a career 3.69 ERA in 353 appearances with 373 strikeouts and 150 walks in 356 innings pitched between stints with the Giants, Guardians, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Mariners.

Leone and the Giants agreed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract last offseason to avoid arbitration, but the veteran reliever was already slated to become a free-agent this winter. It seems likely that the SF Giants had already decided that Dominic Leone was not going to be in their plans for 2023. With a possible need on the 40-man roster, the front office opted to put Leone on the open market a bit early.

This article first appeared on FanNation Giants Baseball Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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