Decelerating Givens's workload

[Just Regular]

Mychal Givens has worked 206 innings since the beginning of 2016.

I think it was smart to hold him yesterday as I believe the workload is part of his recent performance erosion.

Only 9 relievers surpassed 206 innings the entire 3-season period from 2015-2017.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=200&type=8&season=2017&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=8,d

Brach, Reed, Shaw and Torres have been way worse this year; Betances, Petit, Treinen, Watson and pre-suspension Osuna remained very good.

After yesterday, Givens is clearly not part of the next good team, and the job now is to curate his trade value, whether for the offseason or next summer.  My belief is he’s demonstrated to future buyers he can be a relief ace, but to get him valued as such going forward, he should be rested now, in hopes of seeing recharged dominant Givens next spring.

I take a little encouragement he just wrapped (All-Star assisted) July at only 9.2 IP, and hope he can limbo lower in Aug/Sep.  Even 10 IP/month would take him past 225 and the only guy to do that over the 2015-2017 period was Brach, whose 2018 trade value we hope will be far far lower than Givens’s in 11 months.

There are 10 weekends left in the season.  If he can get the 1 save/week that’s probably about all the team will generate, that’s all I’ll ask of him.  He’s earned the babying.