The Giants and veteran outfielder Chris Denorfia are in agreement on a minor league contract, pending a physical, according to Baseball Essential’s Robert Murray (Twitter link). Denorfia is a client of Pro Star Management, Inc.
The 35-year-old Denorfia hasn’t suited up at the Major League or Minor League level this season, although he was in big league camp with the Yankees back in Spring Training before opting out of said deal on March 27.. Denorfia also appeared in 103 games with the Cubs last season, posting a .269/.319/.373 batting line with three homers in 231 trips to the plate. He has long graded out as a plus defender on the outfield corners and has plenty of experience in center field if he’s needed there in a pinch. He somewhat curiously struggled against left-handed pitching with the Cubs in 2015 — an oddity considering the fact that he’s a lifetime .285/.353/.419 hitter when holding the platoon advantage over a lefty.
The Giants currently have both Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence on the disabled list, and while Pagan may be nearing a return, Pence required surgery to repair a torn hamstring and is expected to be out for at least two months. As such, adding some veteran outfield depth to the mix is a logical course of action for San Francisco, who also agreed to a minor league pact with former Giant Travis Ishikawa yesterday.
I hope this means Ishikawa doesn’t spend a single inning in the outfield, when in reality this is probably to guard against an overworked Denard Span…
Agreed, as Ishikawa is a very good 1B, not so good in the OF. He tries in the OF but his instincts just aren’t very good.
I had forgotten Denorfia was still out there. He could be a good grab for them.
Really? Has nothing to do with Pagan and Pence being injured? This is a platoon attempt. A CHEAP platoon attempt to save money and prospects. May work too
This is the right time to do it. They have over a month to see if it will work. If not, they can still trade for Bruce or another of the big name guys.
ha for those that don’t know chris denorfia is one of the most dreaded giants opponents, for some reason when he was in division with the padres he was a giant killer.
My favorite Padre, wonder if he’s got any game left. Bummed he’s a Giant…