The Twins have traded outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to the Giants for right-hander Shaun Anderson, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said earlier Thursday the team was looking for a left-handed-hitting outfielder whom they could option to the minors if necessary, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted. Wade checks those boxes. The 27-year-old has one option left, though whether he’ll prove to be a solution for the Giants at the major league level remains to be seen. He batted an unspectacular .211/.336/.347 in 113 plate appearances as a Twin from 2019-20, but Wade has put up decent production in the minors and always shown that he has a good eye. So far in the majors, Wade has amassed almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (18). He’ll now attempt to join the Giants as a backup outfielder, as they already have Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Mauricio Dubon and Austin Slater in line for jobs.
Anderson, 26, pitched to a 5.17 ERA/5.26 SIERA with below-average strikeout and walk rates of 17.8 and 10.1 percent, respectively, as a Giant in 111 1/3 innings from 2019-20. But Anderson averaged almost 95 mph on his fastball last year, owns a 3.99 ERA in 85 2/3 frames in Triple-A frames, and has two options left. The Twins’ rotation is largely set with Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ and Randy Dobnak, but Anderson adds some depth as a starter or reliever for the organization.
pb22
That’s stupid I liked wade
puhl
Listen, the Twins are loaded with outfield talent in their system, some of it major league ready. If they see something in Anderson they like it isn’t a bad gamble.
Bochys Retirement Fund
Anderson has the stuff when he’s on, but the dude gets in his head real quick once guys start getting on base and he doesn’t have a great poker face to mask it. I’m not sure if heading to a team that will be contending will motivate him more or tense him up. However, he’s got a killer slider and a fastball with great spin/rise on it. Wasn’t a huge fan of him but I do hope he succeeds in Minnesota. At least to help win ONE playoff game.
HalosHeavenJJ
Possible reliever? Maybe one time through the order, multi inning guy?
I think those will be more valuable this year than usual.
jd396
Who knows, maybe the Twins saw something that they think their coaches can work with.
andyhighroller
Giants fans called this guy our possible Thor/Sydergaard clone. It’s always a good trade when both fan base’s are kinda mad about it. He had potential as a power pitching closer, that so happened to start for us at times due to our glutton of relievers
andyhighroller
Could be a good closer, I wish the Giants kept him really.
mattwild1
thank god Shaun is gone
PapiElf
He wasn’t terrible but he did walk allow too many baserunners
mattwild1
you’re right, i just never seemed to feel confident when he got put in. dude had absolutely zero command
giantsphan12
I agree Matt! Terrible command. Do you remember Joe Maddon’s brutal (but honest) assessment of Anderson’s lack of command (saying he didn’t belong in the bigs) after he kept throwing around Mike Trout’s head during one AB last year?
Loling @ you
Watch wade become a great player
ednickelson
I still hope he does.
chicoescuela
Liriano part 2 perhaps
boachthecoach
Yaz pt. 2
refereemn77
Probably will, but there’s no path to the majors in a system loaded with outfielders.
tigw
no! only happens to the dodgers
Rangers29
Several takeaways from this:
1. I was looking into Wade when doing some research on the Twins, and he could be a decent little backup for the Giants.
2. I guess this goes to show that the Giants really didn’t like Luis Alexander Basabe because it literally took them 6 hours to replace him.
JohnJasoJingleHeimerSchmidt
Basabe was out of options. Wade is not.
It was pretty simple.
brentj4liberty
Wade was stuck behind Kiriloff, Kepler, Cave, Rooker, etc
whyhayzee
Giants making room for Bauer. Sweet.
Redwolves3
Bauer will never sign with the Giants
oldmansteve
Never? Not even in the future? What else can you prognosticate?
tom brunanskys black sock
Seer of seers! Prognosticators of prognosticators!
PutPeteRoseInTheHall
He’s a Met
Balk
Sorry man, as a Gaints fan I don’t want Bauer. Not for the price. Prefer to shed salary and go after a true #1 starter via trade or fa next year
giantsphan12
I’m with you Balk on your Bauer assessment. I think anyone who signs him for a mid-long range contract will regret it. And, the Giants have no need for one year of Bauer at his price, at this point in the rebuild.
pustule bosey
God I would hope not
bravesfan
Odd. Two former top organizational prospects both teams kinda giving up on them early. Neither superstars but maybe change of environment will help both players tap some of that potential the once showed
tedtheodorelogan
Wade is 27. Players generally don’t break out that often in their late 20’s. It happens, but 95% of guys are what they are at that point. Doesn’t seem like the Twins are giving up on him early.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Yaz says hello
boachthecoach
Yaz pt. 2 on the way
Paul Griggs
Wade has never been a top prospect. His ceiling is AAA or part time fourth OF in the majors. The Twins have a wealth of young OF coming up. That’s why they let Rosario leave.
bravesfan
Wade was their 13th best prospect as early as 2018. With sky high reviews… what are you talking about. Lol sure. He was kinda a low ceiling high floor guy, which are always nice to have on the team
ZeusMacalester
Agreed. I think the issue with Wade is that they have Kepler and Buxton and then Kiriloff, Larnach, Rooker, Celestino and Cave ahead of him. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the guys who might come up behind him.
He was a depth piece who certainly has upside but who was going to languish in AAA most likely. It’s the right thing to set him free and the smart thing to get a depth piece at a position of need.
TwinsFanJoe
Yeah, if he was right handed they would have held on to him and made him their 4th OF/platoon guy.
aussiegiants53
Anderson has good stuff when he’s switched on, problem was it was 50/50 no one knew what they were getting from him, good luck mate
tom brunanskys black sock
I remember this Anderson scrub, sox got Eddie Nooners for him. Quite a legacy.
He’s prob be opening day stater for them nowadays tho
Capcalhoon
So the Giants traded a pitcher they got from a previous deal for an older AL minor league outfielder who is overlooked by his current organization and has quality peripherals who just needs to put it all together with the right coaching… Yaz 2.0 it is
Baseball 1600
The next Yaz, hopefully.
antibelt
Next Yaz? Player profiles are nothing alike. Not a good trade for the Giants. Little pop and High on base percentage in AA.
Balk
Wrong, great trade for Giants. Fits their needs. Anderson did not. He’s a bust
antibelt
How does he fit their needs? Because he bats lefthand? I’m not for him taking at bats away from Slater, Yaz, or Dubon just because he’s a lefty. Farhan always pulls this. Just like when he plugged in two rule 5 picks as starters two days before opening day. We have way better prospects than him.
pustule bosey
He fits their needs because he has options so he opens the roster and allows for movement while also being a potential piece to use as a 4th-5th of
Balk
First, he wouldn’t take away at bats from Yaz, as Yaz IS a lefty, second, he has an option where Anderson did not, third Anderson is a AAAA at best. This kid has some great upside to him, his ceiling is way higher then Anderson’s. Great swap for the Giants.
Jean Matrac
antibelt:
High on base percentage in AA? What? His OBP was exceptional at AA, but it was very good at every other level of the minors as well. His .336 OBP in a small sample of 98 ABs at MLB wasn’t bad either
giants51
Giants need Pitching…..Does this kid have any promise…..???
PutPeteRoseInTheHall
Next pablo lol
Balk
Pablo wouldn’t walk or have a good obp.
sfjackcoke
This is less about the individual players and more about roster construction, flexibility and player profile & teams trading from organizational depth. This is a 40 man roster trade
bobtillman
Nightengale reported it as Lamont Wade for Pamela Anderson.
tom brunanskys black sock
Lamont Wade for Wade Leblanc and Gene Lamont
Monkey’s Uncle
With Lamont from Sanford and Son as the player to be named later.
FullMontilla
I’m comin’ to join you Elizabeth!!
Will you just STOP IT!!
Yeah, I’ve seen me some Sanford and Son…
DarkSide830
didnt see that coming. think Twins win this.
Balk
Wrong, Anderson is a bust, proven bust, zero control, this kid still has option and break out potential
tom brunanskys black sock
Wrong.
8
Great for twins, #2 or 3 pitcher giving up crap.
Balk
You think Anderson is a #2 starter? Please tell me I’m wrong
GoGiants2021
It’s not the exciting move I was hoping to read when I saw the Giants made a move, but I suppose this is the type of move we should have been all expecting. The Giants have spent this entire off season being linked to this player or that player: Lester, Odorizzi, Bauer, Rosario, Ozuna, Peterson, Hamels, Kluber, Patton, JBJ – yet they have not signed a single one of those. When the Giants have signed someone it was sudden and without warning. No reporters were giving any insight to a pending move.
Having said all that I can only hope that this kid is the next Yaz or Solano type. Looks like Wade got as high as #13 on the Twins MLB Pipeline prospects in 2018. He has the make up Farhan likes. We’ll hope for the best!
FullMontilla
All true – but to be fair, I don’t think ANYONE has been closely tracking the Wade Jr. / Shaun Anderson markets
I’m afraid this move may shake out as a mistake in giving up on Anderson so soon. They must see something more than just depth in Wade.
tedtheodorelogan
So is Farhan really going to go into the season with Alex Wood as the only lefty starter?
dubtastic
I hope not..I was even thinking at least minor league contract for guys like Brett/Tyler Anderson or Gio Gonzalez
princeofsaxony
Is Steven Duggar invisible?
He’s also a “lefty outfielder they can option,” is Wade demonstrably better than Duggar?
scottn59c
Maybe he is to the Farhan administration.
FullMontilla
Good lord lets hope so!
Waittillthisyear
Serious head scratching move by Twins. Falvey and Levine said they wanted an offense with more OBP and table setters aka ‘move the line along’. Wade is that type of hitter with his extremely high walk %, speed and ability to play a solid CF to boot. If anything, Jake Cave was the obvious one to trade with his inconsistency at the plate, and for those that want to see the Twins playoff loss streak end, they don’t need Cave fumbling around in the OF as he did against the Yanks in the ‘19 ALDS. Giants picked up an undervalued asset; Twins picked up a sketchy reliever when better options are still available.
ZeusMacalester
Wade is in AAA, he doesn’t impact the OBP at the MLB level.
Cave could have been thrown in there but he’s about to hit arbitration so there’s less value there.
Seems like a lot of tweaking out about a guy who was never likely to make the Twins (Celestino likely laps him in the org depth chart by June 1).
Waittillthisyear
Wade is in AAA? Then I must’ve been watching a different LaMonte Wade Jr play more than a quarter of the games for the Twins in 2020, showing his versatility by scooping throws out at 1B in addition to the other skills I named. As for the ‘Wade is an expendable LHH’ that another commenter made, I’m not a fan of the ‘Kirilloff and Larnach are LHH, so we had too many’ thought process. Not too many at all, when Kepler is the ONLY experienced regular LHH in the present lineup now that the Twins are thinking Arraez is an IF utility player, Polanco is a switch hitter, and Kirilloff is a rookie with 1 MLB game to his stat line. Not to mention Sano is a slump prone RHH that could use a Kirilloff (and eventually Larnach) to spell him. I like Celestino from what I’ve seen in Spring Training as well, but org charts don’t win championships, and championship season starts with what you have on Opening Day.
Misterants
As a dodger fan I hate seeing the giants get rid of shaun anderson
HubertHumphrey
LaMont, you big dummy!
WarrenSpahn
Hear that Elizabeth? I’m coming to join you!
nentwigs
Now that the Twins have traded away yet another CF player
(See: Denard Span, Ben Revere, Aaron Hicks),
Look for a 2021 major injury or a series of injuries to Byron Buxton that keeps him on the DL for an extended period of time leaving the Twins to flounder around trying to replace him in CF?
mmmmmm3 mntwins
Is it really that bad? If it’s Buxton out, similar scenario as to when they’ve replaced him the past couple stints. Kepler to center, Arraez/Cave/maybe even Rooker depending on when in the season to cover the other corner OF position. Is it ideal? No, but when injuries occur, that’s never the ideal situation.
twins33
Kepler short term. Celestino who is on the 40 man if it’s a longer injury to Buxton. Celestino will probably be in AA and has above average defense. I could see him getting the call if needed. There was already talk of that last offseason before Covid/no minor league season.
Nuschler
I think Twins fans will like Shaun Anderson. He has closer stuff and a bad ass mound presence. I hope Wade is a decent centerfielder, It looks like he gets on base.
wiggysf
Aw man, I liked Shaun Anderson. He never really showed much in the big leagues but I always thought he could be a great closer if he could put things together
Finlander
If, as Bochys Retirement Fund suggests, Anderson has a good slider and a 95 mph fastball with good rise and spin rates, that sounds like a decent project for pitching coach Wes Johnson to work with. The Twins are infatuated with slider pitchers these days. Considering other comments though, maybe that’s not the case with Shaun…any other opinions about his skill set or lack thereof?
Wade’s lefty bat was a factor in his being expendable, as both Larnach and Kiroloff are close to ready and are lefty hitters, along with Kepler in RF and Cave on the bench. Buxton is their only RH hitting outfielder (Rooker arguably being more of a DH/1B type), and Bux is often injured. MN may be looking for a righty OF bat for balance.
davemlaw
Hopefully, this isn’t Joe Nathan 2.o.
Giants have always had trouble getting batllings and it’s easier to trade for them but this doesn’t feel right. Yes, S Anderson has had some hiccups in the past but he’s got stuff and stuff plays. His problem has always been in his head; a little success can fix that.
I hope this trade works out because it sure doesn’t have a good feeling to it.
davemlaw
batllings? One too many tequilas tonight.
tom brunanskys black sock
“Batlings” is the now the new word for rookie ball offensive players. Nicely done.
Steve(shs22)
I always liked Wade a great deal , as A twins fan in the minors Wade had a nookie Betts like eye
Doesn’t have the height nookie has and quite that much athletiscm BUT he’s got a lot of promise to him.
His eye is absurdly good swing is a little flat but he could be similar to Ben revere// Aaron Hicks
Nuschler
How is he in centerfield?
giants1954
Does anyone know what the Giants GM Farhan is doing ? Its a never ending carousel of signing minor league cast offs, small time trades, minor signings and then DFA’s ? The Giants are one of the wealthiest teams in sports. The Dodgers are making the Giants irrelevant. Ziadi is ridiculous !
WarrenSpahn
minimizing payroll until the next Busty Poser shows up…
Haight&Ashbury
this comment isn’t aging well.