Tony Watson

Tony Watson

39-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Tony Watson in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
$Signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Phillies in February of 2021. Traded to the Giants in July of 2021.
Announces retirement
PFree Agent  
April 18, 2022
Watson announced his retirement from baseball Monday, Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Watson dealt with a left shoulder strain at the end of the regular season in 2021 that prevented him from pitching during the postseason, and he didn't sign with another team this spring. The 36-year-old will elect to retire after spending 11 seasons as a reliever in the majors. He had a 47-29 record while converting 32 of 69 save chances and picking up 246 holds with a 2.90 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 689 appearances.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Tony Watson See More
MLB: Top Impending Free Agents
October 29, 2021
With the World Series in full swing, Clay Link offers a quick reminder of the top players set to become free agents this winter (by fantasy value).
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
August 22, 2021
Erik Siegrist checks out the waiver options in the American League and laments letting Jake Meyers slip through his fingers.
Mound Musings: Examining the Trade Deadline Deals
August 5, 2021
Brad Johnson dives into the trade deadline pitching deals and discuses how the changes in latitudes might impact teams, starting in Los Angeles where Danny Duffy becomes a Dodger.
Bernie on the Scene: Trade Deadline Edition
July 26, 2021
Bernie Pleskoff looks at players who could be moved at the trade deadline. Will the Mariners trade Mitch Haniger?
Collette Calls: Productive Middle Relief
May 27, 2021
Jason Collette looks at the growing trend of middle-relief wins, led by the unicorn, Yusmeiro Petit.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
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2013
2012
After opting out of his minor league deal with the Phillies when it was clear he would not make their opening day roster, Watson signed with the Angels. He compiled a 4.64 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with the Halos, fanning only 25 with 14 walks in 33 innings, though he did collect 12 holds. Watson was then sent back to the Giants for whom he pitched the prior three campaigns. Watson was more effective after the trade, posting a 2.96 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with San Francisco, adding seven more holds. In recent seasons, the soft throwing southpaw has been more effective facing righthanded batters but last year he exhibited no platoon differences. Slated to embark on his age-37 season, Watson will likely find work in a setup capacity, though he's only fantasy-friendly in leagues scoring holds as his low strikeout rate puts his ratios in peril.
The shutdown helped Watson shake a sore shoulder experienced in the spring. He showed no real lingering effects of the injury when the season got underway, allowing just one run in his first 19 appearances, spanning 17 innings. The veteran lefty yielded four more runs in his last two outings, but it was still encouraging to see a rebound from a down 2019, even in a limited two-month sample. With 2018 appearing to be an outlier, Watson's 20.5 K% and 4.1 BB% were back to pre-2018 levels, a good sign that he will find work in his age-36 season. In today's landscape, there's an outside chance Watson is signed to be part of a closer committee, but it's not worth paying for in drafts until it's clear he'll compile saves. At worst, Watson should be solid in leagues scoring holds and in single-league formats to buffer ratios.
Watson's season was cut short by a fractured wrist and his performance on the field was a far cry from what we'd seen from him in 2018. The lefty's strikeout rate went from a career-high 27.6% to a career-low 17.8% while his home-run rate nearly tripled. His swinging-strike rate held steady but Watson's Zone% fell five percentage points and same-handed hitters crushed him to the tune of a .914 OPS, up from .570. Despite those issues, he remained in a prominent role and racked up 25 holds before going down in early September, marking the sixth time in seven seasons that he has cleared 20 holds. After the season, Watson exercised his $2.5 million player option for 2020. With Will Smith moving on in free agency, the closer role is now up for the taking in San Francisco, and Watson does have some ninth-inning experience from his time in Pittsburgh. He's best suited for setup duty.
Watson quickly established himself as one of San Francisco’s most reliable relievers in 2018 after inking a three-year deal in the offseason. The veteran finished the year with a 2.59 ERA and 1.03 WHIP to go with his team-best 32 holds (tied for third most in the majors). He saw his strikeout rate jump to a career-best 9.8 K/9, while he posted his lowest walk (1.9 BB/9) and home run (0.55 HR/9) rates since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Watson also logged more than 70 relief appearances for a fifth straight year, with his 72 outings trailing only Sam Dyson for most on the team. The lefty did struggle to a 5.74 ERA from mid-July through August, though he finished strong with a 2.16 ERA and 15:1 K:BB across 8.1 innings in September. Watson should enter 2019 as one of the Giants' top setup men.
The lefty pitched his way out of the closer role in Pittsburgh, blowing four saves in a two-week span from late May to early June, and was ultimately dealt to Los Angeles at the trade deadline. His strikeout rate fell to a career-low 18.2 percent and while Watson's walk rate was solid at 6.9 percent, he has slowly regressed in that department from his near-elite levels in 2013-14. Watson does a good job of keeping the ball on the ground and he's trouble for opposing lefty hitters, but right-handers did far more damage against him in 2017 (.271/.348/.460). He was never an ideal fit in the closer role to begin with, and his recent struggles against righties make it hard to imagine he will ever get another extended opportunity to close in the majors. Watson figures to work primarily as a specialist no matter where he ends up in free agency.
Watson wasn't the same pitcher in 2016 that he was the two previous seasons. His fastball velocity (93.2 mph) dipped for the second straight year and his changeup usage (24.7 percent) dwarfed his career mark (13.4 percent). The lefty's pinpoint control wavered - a 2.7 BB/9 was his highest since 2012 - and he allowed homers at a 1.7 HR/9 clip, well above his last two seasons of 0.6 HR/9 and 0.4 HR/9, respectively. The good news - and there is some - is that general manager Neal Huntington said Watson will enter 2017 as his clear stopper. The lefty saved 15 of 18 games after taking over for Mark Melancon in August, registering a 3.86 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 19:5 K:BB in 23.1 innings. He also gave up six homers. Although Watson's days of elite peripheral statistics might be a thing of the past, he's the frontrunner for saves in Pittsburgh. Keep in mind, however, that he may eventually face competition from free-agent addition Dan Hudson.
Watson is in line for Pittsburgh’s closer job whenever Mark Melancon gets hurt or moves to another team. Armed with a 93.9 mph fastball, the left-hander registered a 1.91 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 75.1 innings. He led the majors with 41 holds — while blowing only two saves — and compiled excellent strikeout and walk rates. The 31-year-old is only two years away from unrestricted free agency, which likely means his time with Pittsburgh is nearing an end. In the meantime, he could surprise fantasy owners with 30-plus saves if Melancon leaves town.
Watson was unhittable in the first half of 2014. Through July 8, the hard-throwing lefty registered a 0.84 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 42.2 innings. He pitched well the rest of the way, but wasn't quite as dominant (2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). It's possible that Pittsburgh over-extended the lefty at times, given that Watson and closer Mark Melancon were the only two reliable bullpen options. If anything happens to Melancon, such as an injury or trade, then Watson would likely take over as the team's stopper. He has two more seasons of arbitration, so the penny-pinching Pirates figure to keep him around a bit longer. For the season, Watson went 10-2 with a 1.63 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 77.1 innings. He finished second in the senior circuit with 34 holds but also blew seven saves. Expect more of the same in 2015.
One of Pittsburgh's unheralded bullpen arms, Watson crafted a 2.39 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 71.2 IP in 2013. Armed with a 93.6 mph average fastball, the lefty recorded 22 holds and two saves while blowing just two save opportunities. Watson's improved control -- 4.5 K/BB rate -- gave manager Clint Hurdle confidence using him indiscriminately against both righties and lefties. In fact, the 29-year-old limited right-handed batters to a lower batting average (.192) than lefties (.206). Most likely, Watson will once again serve as a late-inning setup man in 2014. He's got the stuff to close, but Hurdle likes him in high-leverage situations.
Watson held opponents to 37 hits in 53.1 innings in 2012, courtesy of a strong fastball (92.5 mph) and slider (84.9). He held opposing hitters to a .198 batting average (.183/.213 vs. LHB/RHB) as a relief specialist. The lefty compiled 16 holds and five wins despite dealing with command issues -- he walked 23 batters. There's a good chance the 28-year-old, who often served as the team's lone lefty out of the bullpen, serves in a similar capacity for 2013. He might even close out a small number of games after the Pirates traded closer Joel Hanrahan to Boston, but drafting him for anything other than the holds category would probably be a mistake.
Watson got his first taste of big league ball in 2011, compiling a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings. The left-hander features a hard-to-pickup delivery and actually did better against righties (.193 BAA) than lefties (.279 BAA). He has the potential to start in a pinch but will likely continue on as a reliever, shuttling back and forth between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis. Provided Pittsburgh keeps him in the bullpen, Watson has the upside of an eighth-inning setup man.
More Fantasy News
Completes bullpen session
PSan Francisco Giants  
Shoulder
October 12, 2021
Watson (shoulder) threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
ANALYSIS
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Aiming for NLCS return
PSan Francisco Giants  
Shoulder
October 11, 2021
Watson (shoulder) is hoping to be healthy enough to be considered for the the NLCS roster, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Lands on 10-day IL
PSan Francisco Giants  
Shoulder
September 30, 2021
Watson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain Thursday, retroactive to Sept. 29.
ANALYSIS
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Awarded win over Rockies
PSan Francisco Giants  
September 26, 2021
Watson (7-4) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the win Saturday over Colorado.
ANALYSIS
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Snares win Tuesday
PSan Francisco Giants  
September 22, 2021
Watson (6-4) earned the win Tuesday versus the Padres. He struck out two in a perfect inning.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
May take high price to be traded
PSan Francisco Giants  
July 18, 2019
The Giants may hang on to Watson unless a trade offer is overwhelmingly favorable to them, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
The Giants have plenty of relievers available to deal, and even if they decide to hang tight in the suddenly crowded NL wild-card race, they could deal one of their bullpen arms to improve another area of the club. The left-hander (3.03 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 1.2 BB/9 and 21 holds this year, along with 30 career saves) might even sneak into save chances if the Giants keep him and trade the coveted Will Smith. However, Watson may be the second-likeliest name to be traded, considering he's also a left-hander -- a popular commodity among postseason contenders. San Francisco's bullpen is a fantasy hotbed of saves speculation, but so many permutations exist about who'll stay and who'll go that strongly locking in on any candidate could leave prospectors empty-handed.
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