The Mets and Giants have agreed to a trade that will sent veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton to New York in exchange for right-hander Jordan Humphreys, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (Twitter link).
After signing a minor league deal with San Francisco in February, Hamilton will move on without ever officially suiting up for the club. Hamilton’s chances of making the Opening Day roster were likely scuttled by an injured list stint that caused him to miss over a week of the Giants’ Summer Camp.
Hamilton’s heralded center field glove will be a boost to a Mets team that recently lost Jake Marisnick to a hamstring strain, leaving the team defensively short-handed in the outfield and without a late-game sub for Brandon Nimmo in center. Beyond defense, Hamilton’s blazing speed gives the Mets a strong candidate for pinch-running situations, and potential usage as the automatic runner at second base in extra-inning games.
Humphreys was designated for assignment earlier this week, ending his Mets tenure after 169 2/3 innings since being selected in the 18th round of the 2015 draft. Only two of those innings have come since June 2017, however, as Humphreys missed almost two full years due to Tommy John surgery and ulnar nerve surgery. MLB Pipeline has already ranked Humphreys as the 23rd-best prospect in the Giants’ farm system and credits the righty with a plus fastball, though “San Francisco probably won’t know exactly what it has in Humphreys until he returns to game action in 2021.” Essentially, the Giants are taking a flier on a young arm in exchange for a veteran who wasn’t in their plans.
robbery by the Giants
Zaidi is a genius. Good trade for the Giants.
Why the Mets would ever DFA Humphreys is a mystery to me. He had solid minor league stats over many years, and a sub 3 career era in the minors. The only reason I could see is that Humphreys is already 24 and still in the lower levels of the minors. Also, the giants get out of having an outfield logjam when Hamilton was activated of the IL.
Cohen can’t buy this team soon enough.
They took a chance adding him to the 40-man this offseason and he probably showed diminished stuff and/or control in camp this year, and he never had overwhelming stuff to begin with. He also has thrown just 2 innings (plus 14.2 innings in AFL) since his surgery in 2017.
Yeah, but he’s 24, not 34.
and Joey Bart is 23.
The point?
I know he’s been hurt but I was hoping to see what Humphreys could offer in a bullpen role.
Combining him and Friedman, you got Justin turner , kike Hernandez , Chris Taylor ,max muncy and now possibly mike Yastrzemski and Donovan Solona of the flyer scrap heap ! Moneyball lives I guess
While other teams the scrap heap means getting billy Hamilton,
Even year Magic. WORLD SERIES Bound Giants!!!!
Genius? For this?
for trading a guy on a Minors Deal who couldn’t even make the team for a proepct of high regard.
Genius? For trading for a 24 year old guy that has barely pitched 1 full season in the minors in 5 years? Sure Hamilton wasn’t much, but neither is the guy they got back. They could have just as easily signed a similar minor league arm this past offseason instead of Hamilton.
Mets needed a major upgrade for their outfield defense. Hamilton will definitely help. In a separate story, Brodie will lose his job.
Upgrading your outfield defense just came with badly downgrading your entire lineup if you give Hamilton any ABs, Which no team would be stupid enough to. He is an 8th or 9th inning defensive replacement and pinch runner. Jordan Humphreys actually had value. Hamilton probably would have been DFA anyway.
So the Giants got back an interesting young pitcher for a guy they were going to get rid of anyway and is only a late inning defensive replacement. .
With expanded line-ups …in this peculiar season, Hamilton is the kind of player that could steal a few extra-inning wins and sneak you into the postseason. He’d be less valuable then but still useful.
Humphreys was DFAed and, obviously, claimed.
THIS year, that’s a fair price for Billy
I’d rather have Hamilton over Sandoval, Pence, or Belt. Those guys are choking out the line up.
Sandoval and Pence have looked pretty awful so far, it’s true. Belt has shown good discipline and hopefully will dial in his swing with a little more tuning up.
Sandoval and Pence can be cut anytime. My guess is that if Pence doesn’t show something in the next couple of games that Jaylin Davis will be back up for his spot.
Belt always has “potential” but nothing comes from it. Guy gets injured way too much.
If you’d rather have Hamilton, a guy with a career OPS+ of 68, and who most recently posted a 50 OPS+ for the 2019 season, over any of those guys, whether they’re currently struggling or not, then you need to go back to baseball school.
Never said I would rather have Hamilton, just pointing out facts. I actually like Belt a lot.
Please release sewald!!!!
Sounds like this means Marisnick’s injury is worse than reported.
The extra innings rule this year will help the speedster have more opportunities.
Pinch runner on second in the tenth.
Very good point, I hadn’t thought of that angle
As much as I hate the rule, it is tailor made for a guy like Hamilton. He doesn’t have to find his own way on base. He just has to run, which he can do, and fast. The Mets will be dangerous in extra innings.
Not only that, but with a 30-man roster a team can afford to carry a guy who mainly pinch runs and comes in late for defense.
LOL why would the Mets do this I’m so confused, Hamilton isn’t even on our big league roster
yeah, trading an actual asset, even of DFA’ed for a guy on a Minors Deal is not a good move.
Defensive replacement with lead.
Replacement runner when down.
Replacement runner in extra innings.
Are you kidding? Give up an actual young pitcher for a speed-only guy they could’ve just picked up for free a month or so ago? This darn team!
WTF? A case of balls would’ve been sufficient for Hamilton.
Interesting… the Mets pitching STINKS outside of deGrom, so let’s trade a pitcher for a guy that might get one inning of defensive work per night
They don’t entirely stink. In fact, their rotation isn’t any worse than the Phillies and probably only slightly worse than the overrated Braves.
Parcello is all but average. Matz is okay, has some upside and I think Wacha will be okay. Nothing impressive but far from stinks, especially compared to the Phillies who have Aaron Nola as an ace who hasn’t shown consistent ace potential.
The Great Zaidi pulls off his first magic trick! This seems too good to be true….
My man Pato is finally giving Zaidi some credit? That seems too good to be true ;)
^^^^nah, he most likely got hacked. Pato would never say anything positive about Zaidi.
I have to call it like I see it and this move actually makes Farhan look like he knows what he is doing! They need more pitching depth so hopefully this guy works out and they draft a few more arms after this season.
If acquiring a guy that has barely pitched in 5 years is all you need to be impressed, I really wish I could work for you. Showing up and not burning down the building would probably get me Employee of the Month.
Met game plan: Just put Hamilton on 2nd base during those xtra innings games. Then he’ll steal 3rd. Basically, game over. Point is he has fleet speed.
Another part of the game plan seems to be trading away as many young pitchers as possible, for less and less a return
except he’ll be stranded on 3rd.
Does Hamilton get free tickets to “Hamilton” when Broadway reopens? Or does he have to fork over a dozen Hamiltons like everyone else?
Billy will get 90% off but will only be allowed into the show for its final three musical numbers.
Bench roll! For a team that needs pitching desperately!!! Cohen please buy the Damn! Team! as the great MURPH would say
They need a rebuild. Cohen is not going to quickly turn them into a contender by flashing money. That’s never been how it’s done.
I’m not a Mets fan, but why do you feel they need a rebuild? I don’t see them as all that far off. They have some weaknesses, but who doesn’t?
As curious as this might seem, the Mets’ defensive has already cost them a number of times this season. How does a team close 2019 with a terrible defense and do nothing to improve it?
The guy is 24 never pitched above high a and has a near 5.00 era at that level though of course sample size.
Hamilton can’t hit his way out of a paper bag oh how I wish he could because seeing Hamilton doing Hamilton things on the bases is truly something.
Hamilton though does have uses especially this year as a defensive replacement and runner.
Yes Mets could have got him for nothing months ago but let’s not make it out that humpreys Is even a option for a major league pen. Till he does something in a upper level he’s nothing but org filler.
Why? If it’s possible for him to do well at AAA if given a chance, it’s possible for him to do it in the majors. He has a good starter’s pedigree, so to speak, just had his development cut short due to injury. Why give up on him like this for nothing? Especially in this crazy season. Give him a start if you need a fill in… see if he can give you 4-5 innings at least.
You’re looking at the wrong stats. He never had an ERA over 4.50 and that was in 2 innings of rehab in the Gulf Coast League. In 169 innings in Minor League ball he has a 2.60 ERA with a 9.4/1.6 K/BB per 9. WHIP of 1.026. Also, Billy Hamilton can’t steal first base. This was another dumb move by BVW.
@schellis: I agree with Cosmo and Skip more than I do with your take, but even if he is just a young organizational filler, what were the Giants going to do with Hamilton? When you look at Humphreys’ baseball card, there’s at least some room for optimism that he could turn into a decent pitcher. Giants need young pitchers more than old pinch runners.
That’s three trades Brodie’s made for glove only guys while trading prospects for them, oy vey.
They are the worst defensive team in baseball. Weak at every position.
And they are still the worst defensive team in baseball cause the glove only guys he got are too awful to play everyday. That is why they are glove only guys.
You can tell he is trying to find another Gio Urshela but doesn’t have the ability himself or scouts to find him.
Weak at every position? Really? Conforto? Rosario?
Rosario is definitely a below average short stop at best. He barely belongs at the position. Conforto is ok in right, McNeil good at third.
Still haven’t heard word on Smyly’s finger issue which resulted in him walking off the mound in the 4th inning yesterday. Humphreys isn’t going to jump right in as a sub, but he’ll at least give Giants greater depth in starting pitching.
@Cey Hey , NO the Giants are the worst defensive team in the National League
espn.com/mlb/stats/team/_/view/fielding
28th worst in MLB. Way worse than the Mets
@27rings Would you look at that, the Yankees aren’t so far behind with two less games played lol
This rating will go down quickly, the Giants used to play Ruf/Sandoval on defense because they didn’t have Longo or Belt. Both are back and both are among the best defenders at their respective positions.
@27rings (mostly purchased)
That’s a low baseball IQ take. Everybody knows, or should, that fielding percentage is not a good indicator for defense. Admittedly the Giants aren’t playing good defense, but by Defensive Runs Saved, Fangraphs has them equal to the D’backs, and better defensively than the Mets Reds, Angels and Royals.
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld&…
You can pinch run in that spot. Every article here about the new rule has said so and mentioned the value of having a speedster on the bench for that situation.
Sure you can pinch run, but what if Hamilton doesn’t score and the guy that should have gone to 2nd is someone you don’t want to lose for the rest of the game, like Pete Alonso?
next years new rules ..1, can steal 1st base ,2 designated runners
I know that’s sarcasm- and yet a small part of me still fears you know some inside information. Lol
the d.h. was/is a gimmick…. this could be the next genius move by mlb
Some posters are overreacting. I would say his control is what turned the Mets off to him. He had a 3.1 BB/9 in the Ariz. Fall League and a 4.5 BB/9 in the Gulf Coast League. This is a parts for parts trade.
Now Imagine Hamilton as a pinch runner on second in extra innings. That sounds kind of nasty to me. They both have their uses but I think the Mets found a useful tool or two in Hamilton that might win a couple ball games.
This really is just a trade of spare parts in the end. Nobody’s jobs are at risk with this one.
I’d be pretty shocked if Hamilton was the difference in two victories this season, idiotic rule or not
You couldn’t see the Mets pinch running on second in late innings being a difference maker? This man was born to run. He can steal third which he has done on many occasions. Also, with his speed, he can score on plays other players can’t. I think he could be a very useful one trick pony BECAUSE of that idiotic rule. I do agree that that rule is idiotic though. I can’t express how much a hate it.
Sorry, this just became something else. Have I expressed my utter, searing contempt and rage that comes from the bottom of the depths of the black, oozing hatred I have in my heart for this rule? =}
I just think that seeing as there are not many extra innings games, the exact situation in which Hamilton’s speed becomes the difference in a victory coming up twice is statistically very unlikely, even with the dumb rule.
@SalaryCapMyth
How many tie games do you expect in a 60 game season? Over the last 3 seasons they’ve averaged 15 extra-inning games amounting to just over 9%. That translates to 5 games. Even if they have 6 games with extras, what if the guy that goes to 2nd to start the 10th is Pete Alonso, or Robby Cano? Guys you don’t want to lose should Hamilton not score.
What if it’s the catcher? teams hate pinch-hitting for their catcher because the back-up could get hurt leaving them with the emergency guy.
I see Hamilton, if he has any value value, as a late inning defender, and not so much as a 10th inning pinch-runner.
About 3-4 years too late for the Mets, but a real good signing given their overall lack of outfield depth and team speed. He’s the perfect type of player in these expanded roster times.
Perfect player for the extra inning, start a player at second base situation.