The Giants announced to various reporters, including Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, that they have claimed left-hander Darien Nunez off waivers from the Dodgers. (Reporter Francys Romero relayed the Giants-Nunez connection earlier today.) The Giants don’t need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move at the moment, as a couple of players have recently hit the Covid-related injured list and won’t take up roster spots until reinstated.
It was reported a few days ago that the 29-year-old would require Tommy John surgery, thus keeping him out of action for the remainder of this season and at least part of next year as well. The next day, he was designated for assignment by the Dodgers in order to open up a roster spot for Reyes Moronta. Nunez was in the minors at the time of his injury, meaning that the Dodgers could have merely placed him on the minor league injured list. However, in that scenario, he would continue to occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. They also had the option of placing Nunez on the major league 60-day injured list. Doing so would have opened up a roster spot, but also would have meant Nunez would earn an MLB salary and service time over the remainder of the year. In the end, they opted merely to cut him loose. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, meaning Nunez was on release waivers, before being claimed.
For the Giants, this is situation has many parallels with their acquisition of outfielder Luis Gonzalez. Last year, Gonzalez was injured while in the minor leagues with the White Sox. The Sox opted to designate him for assignment and place him on waivers. The Giants put in a claim and placed him on their major league injured list, thus earning him MLB pay and service time. The club non-tendered him after the season but were able to re-sign him on a minor league deal, with Gonzalez presumably appreciating the treatment he received from the team. He recently had his contract selected and has been playing well in his first few games as a Giant.
With Nunez, the Giants announced that he has been optioned to Triple-A for now. However, it seems likely that, whenever they need to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, they will move Nunez to the 60-day IL. He currently has 30 days of MLB service time, a number that will start climb once he’s on the 60-day IL.
An amateur signing out of Cuba in 2018, Nunez worked his way up the ranks and made his MLB debut last year, throwing 7 2/3 innings with an 8.22 ERA. In Triple-A, however, his ERA was a much nicer 2.42 over 52 innings, along with a 39.8% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. The Giants will surely be hoping that he can get back to that kind of production once he recovers from the surgery, and then carry it from the minors into the majors.
Glad this guy got a chance. Pretty rough getting TJ and DFA’d in the same week
Why sign a guy out for the season?? Is it to give him pay and a place to rehab??
To have him for next year when he’s healthy?
In many ways, it’s like the Giants and Dodgers swapped high-celiing hard-throwing relievers, Moronta and Nunez. It wasn’t so long ago that the Gaints expected Moronta to be their future closer . . .until he was injured.
In return for the support while injured, they come back on a minor league contract and go to work earning a roster spot.
Low cost prospect, like the article stated it’s not the first time the front office has tried it and it worked well so far last time as Gonzalez is contributing had a 2 run go ahead homer in the 9th the other day. Just like we lost Moronta, they make moves like this to supplement those types of losses.
yes, the giants have done this with a number of guys recently, the latest to show up being luis gonzalez who was DFA’d when injured to keep from paying him the major league minimum and came back to sign afterwards
I’m surprised a team with a higher waiver claim didn’t take a flyer. Great strikeout rates at triple-A, and you can just stash him on the DL and pay him the minimum until he’s healthy. Smart move by the Giants, since they have plenty of money available.
i feel the same way, especially seeing how the giants are using an open 40-man spot to keep him in AAA and his service time still until necessary. other teams might be kicking themselves after seeing how they handled that roster move
I think they did the same with Delaplane last year. Gonzales, 8m for a still rehabbing Boyd……..frugal Farhan happy to support the injured.
Why is it ‘frugal’ to not waste monetary resources? would you rather the Giants be run like the Angels? Wasting $20+ million on DFA’s for a has-been name annually for a 4th or 5th place finish within your own division?
It was sarcasm. Ton of respect for the way Zaidi operates.
I’ve known 3 Darien’s in my life. 2 are incarcerated and one works at Ross (Dress for Less)
Be careful. I don’t ascribe to the concept, having known some sketchy types myself, but people are often judged by the company they keep.
The Dodgers released Nunez so I don’t think the Giants needed to claim him and instead signed him to a contract.
Well, it seems like that, but by claiming him, the Giants didn’t have to compete with 29 other clubs to sign him. Why risk losing a player you like when claiming him gives you some exclusivity, and a better chance at keeping him? I’m guessing he’s placed on outright waivers when rosters reduce.. There’s very few teams that are in position, with room on the 40 man, and the money available to wait until he’s healthy, to claim him then.
Dodgers designated him for assignment. Not released.
Yeah, he was DFA’d, but the Dodgers needed to trade him, or put him on waivers within 7 days. Since he was injured, he couldn’t be put on outright waivers, he had to be put on release waivers.
Technically you’re correct, since he was claimed, and not released, but he would have been released had he cleared.
I’m surprised, that a team with an earlier option to claim, didn’t. Teams always run the risk of losing a guy when they try to sneak a player through waivers, But with the roster reduction coming soon, it should be a good opportunity to do just that. If successful doing that, the Giants have a chance to stash this guy in the minors now until he’s rehabbed.
a lot of teams don’t see the point in paying a guy to rehab – that may change in the future
Nunez has the windup of Chapman but a fastball that can’t break glass
“Can’t break glass?”:
2018: Struck out 14.1 per 9 innings
2019: 15.3 per 9
2021: 14.1 per 9
2021: (Dodgers) 9.4 per 9
2022: 11.6 per 9
According to fangraphs pitch velo graph, he hit 96.9 mph last year in his short stint with the Dodgers.
Crafty.
I wonder why the Giants released Reyes Moronta in the first place… His numbers are pretty good.
Because he’s overweight, can’t stay in shape, and stuff is not nearly as good. He can be the Dodgers headache. He was essentially Sandoval 2.0 with the weight management.
Sandoval, also known as one of the big parts of the early 2010s Dynasty. what a problem…
Moronta had a significant shoulder injury, and surgery in 2019. When he came back last season he’d lost over 3 MPH on his FB. He’s gotten some of that velo, back, better than half, but I think the Giants felt they had better options.
He had major surgery
Certain amount of confirmed bias in play but the Giants recruitment blows my mind.
How about the 1.75m Jakob Junis ?
That slider has to be worth $5m. It’s peak Sergio Romo but he will give you 5 innings.
Beyond impressed.