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Giants To Acquire Tony Watson From Angels

By Anthony Franco | July 30, 2021 at 3:26pm CDT

The Giants are acquiring reliever Tony Watson from the Angels, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (Twitter link). The Giants will send Sam Selman, Jose Marte, and Ivan Armstrong to Los Angeles, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).

Watson is well known in San Francisco, of course, having only recently completed a three-year run with the Giants from 2018 to 2020. It’s been a bit of a down year for Watson, who owns a 4.64 ERA/4.10 FIP in 33 innings with the Angels. His walk rate, in particular, has bothered his performance, ballooning to 10.4 percent from a career 6.7 percent.

That said, the understated veteran has been remarkably reliable throughout his 11-year career. Giants’ President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said of the acquisition (per Slusser), “He’s a battled-tested relievers, and we’re going to have a lot of important games down the stretch. His influence, his demeanor, is really an example we want to have set.”

The Angels, meanwhile, continue in their mission to add pitching to their organization. After using their entire draft to add pitchers, the Angels now add three more in the form of Selman, Marte, and Armstrong.

Selman has the best chance of simply taking Watson’s roster spot. The 30-year-old southpaw has appeared in each of the past three seasons for San Francisco, totaling 37 2/3 innings with a 4.06 ERA/5.00 FIP. Selman has been a fine option for the Giants, though he doesn’t come with the same track record that Watson does.

As for the youngsters, Marte, 25, made it as high as Double-A this season. He’s marked a 3.57 ERA in 19 appearances totaling 22 1/3 innings. Armstrong, 21, is a burler 6’5″, 247-pound right-hander pitching out of the bullpen in Single-A. He’s impressed with a 1.88 ERA in 38 1/3 innings while striking out 28.7 percent of opponents.

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Los Angeles Angels San Francisco Giants Transactions Jose Marte (b. 1996) Sam Selman Tony Watson

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View Comments (54)
Post a Comment

54 Comments

  1. SFBay314

    4 years ago

    #FOREVERGIANT

    8
    Reply
  2. prov356

    4 years ago

    Clearing out one of the worst pitching staffs is a good start for us.

    6
    Reply
    • johndietz

      4 years ago

      FINALLY dropping some dead weight off the pitching staff

      Reply
  3. FletcherFan66

    4 years ago

    The Giants actually got worse over the deadline lol
    Have fun with the least clutch pitcher in the league

    1
    Reply
    • Alex Cardoza

      4 years ago

      How does adding a former MVP make a team worse?

      11
      Reply
      • Clampdown420-69

        4 years ago

        It was a dig watson

        Reply
        • Alex Cardoza

          4 years ago

          He was ripping the Bryant trade as well in the other thread. Watson was a quality arm for the Giants the past few seasons, adding him too doesn’t make a team worse.

          6
          Reply
    • D-Lew

      4 years ago

      He’ll be fine in SF… Like before…. There’s a bounty of lefties that’ll continue to shut down in the NL.. Angels are a disgusting dumpster fire – Giant swooped in and rescued the poor lefty… Hum baby let’s do it again

      4
      Reply
    • SFGiantsfan28

      4 years ago

      It’s ok. We all know that this Fletcher guy is just a joke and a troll and a moron. Not worth our time

      8
      Reply
    • Balk

      4 years ago

      Who is this dude? Got worse with bringing back Watson? A reliever? With Bryant? This dude is insane!

      4
      Reply
      • Jean Matrac

        4 years ago

        Clearly he knows nothing about baseball. Just wants to flame for some reason, probably out of frustration.

        2
        Reply
  4. bkbk

    4 years ago

    Joey Bart in red gonna look crisp

    1
    Reply
    • Vizionaire

      4 years ago

      ptbn or cash! it would be great if we get back the infielder we traded.

      Reply
      • dandan

        4 years ago

        No chance you’re getting Will Wilson back for Tony Watson. Especially after we took on all the Cozart money

        1
        Reply
        • aragon

          4 years ago

          we will pay watson’s money.

          Reply
  5. prov356

    4 years ago

    Who’d we get?

    Reply
    • FireJames

      4 years ago

      The Angels are getting 30-year-old LHP Sam Selman from the Giants. He has a 4.06 ERA in 37.2 MLB innings. This year at AAA, he has a 4.03 ERA in 22.1 IP.

      1
      Reply
      • prov356

        4 years ago

        Ok. Those numbers are better than our BP numbers as a whole.

        1
        Reply
        • Halo11Fan

          4 years ago

          Watson was the only pitcher in the Angels pen who didn’t throw gasoline on the fire.

          He came into the game with 23 runners on base, 2 scored.

          I don’t think Perry has a clue what he is doing

          5
          Reply
        • VTGiant

          4 years ago

          That was his m o with the Giants too… very good w inherited runners

          Reply
      • Pete'sView

        4 years ago

        Actually, I hate to see Selman go, but I think this trade will work out for both teams—the Giants in the short run, the Angels long-term.

        2
        Reply
  6. kellin

    4 years ago

    Yep, cash is a good thing to get in return for this guy.. Our pitching staff can only get better…

    Reply
  7. DarkSide830

    4 years ago

    run it back!

    2
    Reply
  8. Dixon Miaz

    4 years ago

    Angels pitching coach staff sucks. So wouldn’t be surprised to see him flourish in SF again.

    5
    Reply
    • elcaballo

      4 years ago

      Not a surprise when your pitching coach gets knocked for sexual assault a month into Spring Training.

      2
      Reply
  9. SFBay314

    4 years ago

    SF gives up Sam Selman

    1
    Reply
    • MrAngelFan

      4 years ago

      We got Sam the Used Car Selman and Junk all in the same day. Our pitching prayers have answered.

      3
      Reply
  10. Mr. E Team

    4 years ago

    Sam sellman to angels

    Reply
    • SwingtheFNbat

      4 years ago

      You mean future MVP Sam Sellman? 😉

      1
      Reply
  11. Redwolves3

    4 years ago

    Watson adds veteran depth to the bullpen.

    3
    Reply
  12. HalosHeavenJJ

    4 years ago

    Watson would come in and clean up the mess Cishek makes night after night.

    2
    Reply
    • orange2001

      4 years ago

      Notice how nobody is trading for Cishek?

      1
      Reply
    • Halo11Fan

      4 years ago

      HH, you are 100 percent correct. Watson is the reason Cishek ERA is 3.83 in spite of a WHIP of 1.590.

      1
      Reply
      • 5TUNT1N

        4 years ago

        His walks are up this year’s and strikeouts a bit down, maybe poseys framing can help him a bit. Other than that his whip seems about normal. Really you just got a ton of out of options depth due to a roster crunch. Similar to why it was ideal scenario for giants to include Canario (40 man also) in the Bryant deal.

        Sucks to see some perfectly fine pitchers move to other teams with a bit of a gamble with some prospects but that’s life. Pretty sure Farhan and Harris just snagged all the talent they could on the waiver wire and minor league depth last few years. And let their brand new development system take hold of the talent and mold it into feasible MLB players very similar to what happens in Tampa Bay and Los Angeles every season. Then you face roster crunches , Canario would’ve occupied a roster spot for a few years before he could make impact due to shoulder surgery, then it comes to selman and the others for Watson. Do they deserve roster spots over Ruf, Wade Jr, Duggar, Slater, I would argue they don’t with the quality of Garcia, Leone, Rogers, McGee have done a very decent job of closing out games for us. Watson is a pitcher who’s a veteran that has played big games and can guide the young bullpen. Plenty of value in that for a stretch wrong, and like someone else said… he’s left handed!

        Reply
        • 5TUNT1N

          4 years ago

          Stretch run* oops

          Reply
  13. Baseball 1600

    4 years ago

    Watson is a good ground ball lefty, has always been decent with them

    3
    Reply
  14. Geno55

    4 years ago

    I think its good deal for the Giants

    5
    Reply
  15. VTGiant

    4 years ago

    Zaidi gets Tony Watson and Kris Bryant for Sam Selman and two mid-level prospects.

    The guy is a damn magician!

    7
    Reply
    • JayRyder

      4 years ago

      🙂

      1
      Reply
  16. CJCue

    4 years ago

    A magician? Although I like these moves for SFG, you clearly do not understand the financial implications of these 2 moves if you are so impressed you’re praising the guy like this. It’s ironic how often people don’t understand many of the players acquired in deals are insignificant to the burden of financial responsibility or rather the expulsion of said financial responsibility

    Reply
    • Balk

      4 years ago

      What financial responsibility? 7 million for Bryant and some low level prospects heading out? Great pick ups for the G men

      2
      Reply
    • Jean Matrac

      4 years ago

      CJCue:

      It’s not ironic, and not at all surprising, how many times the word “ironic” is misused.

      2
      Reply
    • VTGiant

      4 years ago

      You apparently r someone who likes to hear himself talk.

      SMFH

      Reply
  17. orange2001

    4 years ago

    At least the Angels received three arms in this one. Sam Selman, Jose Marte, and Ivan Armstrong… I didn’t say they were good arms.

    Reply
  18. citizen

    4 years ago

    Watson makes an old team.much older.

    Reply
    • Jean Matrac

      4 years ago

      Old team is such a tired warhorse for anyone wanting to criticize the Giants. It’s just so easy, and yet lazy, since it’s not really true.

      Longoria is the oldest guy on the team and he hasn’t played in 2 months. The Dodgers have 2 older than Longoria, one significantly so. The R Sox, Cubs, A’s, Twins, and Nats, all have older pitching staffs by average. The average age of the Giants pitching staff is all of 0.2 years older than the Padres, Angels, and Braves, and only 0.1 year older than the Yankees.

      Plus it doesn’t matter that much even if it were true. The oldest team in baseball in 2019 won the W.S. The Giants have some issues, and if you want to criticize them, maybe talk about one that’s relevant.

      4
      Reply
  19. rec567

    4 years ago

    And the oldest team in baseball has the best record.

    1
    Reply
  20. MyWifeLeftMeForWadeBoggs

    4 years ago

    Giants are getting back Longo, LaStella, Belt and Moronta with Watson/Bryant coming in for prospects.

    We have a deep squad but I’m worried about the regression from Gausman

    Reply
  21. giants51

    4 years ago

    He’s nothing of what he was….. We are grabbing

    Reply
    • FullMontilla

      4 years ago

      Agreed! what is thinking with this one? Let him be a ForeverGiant after he retires

      Reply
  22. FullMontilla

    4 years ago

    Why? he proved to be at the end of the line in his last season with the Giants. He’s toast if he’s not painting the outside with his slider
    I get that pitching acquisitions were at quite a bit of a premium but its hard to see what the Giants are thinking with this move.

    Reply
  23. SFGbreezy

    4 years ago

    3 pieces for watson again. Okay then!

    Reply
    • macdaddy96

      4 years ago

      Essentially they swapped a 40 man spot with Watson for Selman, Marte has to be added to the 40 man this offseason or he’s rule 5 eligible and no way was he being added to the giants 40 man with their roster crunch coming up. So Armstrong rally is the lotto ticket piece for Angels are picking up.

      Reply
      • macdaddy96

        4 years ago

        Really is the lotto piece the angels are picking up*

        Reply

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