The Astros have acquired utility player Mauricio Dubon from the Giants in exchange for catcher Mike Papierski, as announced by both clubs. Additionally, the Giants have recalled infielder Donovan Walton to replace Dubon on the active roster and assigned Papierski to Triple-A Sacramento.
Dubon, 27, was originally drafted by the Red Sox in in 2013, but went to the Brewers as part of the 2016 Tyler Thornburg trade. He made it up to the big leagues for a two-game cup of coffee before being sent to the Giants as part of the 2019 deadline deal that sent Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black to the Brewers.
Since that time, Dubon has proved to be a useful bench/utility piece for the club. In 179 career games, he’s hit .258/.301/.395 while spending time at second base, third base, shortstop and center field. That batting line amounts to 88 wRC+, about 12% below league average, but his solid defense at multiple positions has still allowed him to accumulate 1.4 wins above replacement for his career, according to FanGraphs.
Those are solid contributions for a part-time player, but it seems that Dubon might have just been squeezed off a talented Giants roster. He and Thairo Estrada play similar roles on the club as right-handed hitting utility options. Tommy La Stella began the season on the injured list after undergoing achilles surgery in October but is currently rehabbing and nearing a return. The club will need to make room for him and it seems like they either preferred Estrada or got an offer on Dubon that tipped the scales in favor of this route. Since Dubon is out of options, sending him to the minors wasn’t going to be possible.
For the Astros, they’ve had disappointing results from their utility players so far this year. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .191/.257/.294 on the year for a wRC+ of 69. Niko Goodrum has been even worse, as his slash line on the year is currently .128/.171/.179, wRC+ of 4. With Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena both dealing with minor injuries this week, the club’s middle infield mix was starting to look a little wobbly. They’re surely hoping that Dubon can help shore it up.
As for Papierski, he was a ninth round selection of the Astros in the 2017 draft. He’s since worked his way up the minor league ladder, reaching Triple-A last year. His first taste of that level went okay, as he put up a line of .246/.379/.375, 98 wRC+. However, he’s taken a dip so far this year, sitting on a line of .211/.324/.278, 59 wRC+. He’s also been spending less time behind the plate this year, with 11 games at catcher, nine at first base and six at designated hitter. Last year, it was 64 at catcher and 28 at first. If he continues that trend in his new organization, it will put more pressure on him to produce with the bat since he won’t be providing as much defensive value.
dubon was one if my favorite giants. wish him the best
scotcousins — This will hurt. Dubon—based on his excellent defense at multiple positions—will be missed. And he’s had some key hits over the years. I’d have traded LaStella before letting Dubon go, although I know LaStella is LH.
Parpieski is insurance against Joey Bart’s continued swing and miss, which is the worst in the majors (more than 50% of his at bats). Paperski is a switch hitter and has great OBP through his career.
I understand the deal but I’m going to miss Mauricio’s enthusiasm and great glove.
Agreed I would have traded the 1 year remaining of Tommy La Injured. He can hit when he in the lineup.
Meanwhile Dubon was clearly making a turn and was benefiting from regular playing time.
Who do you want in your org 34 second baseman or 27 OF/IF with room to grow?
Scot cousins wtf get out of here dude
Farhan, love your work. But WTF???
clearly more about the roster spot, he’s was out of options and Tommy is going to back for a week before getting hurt again..
But don’t worry tommy hit a grand slam in AAA. I hate tommy
Tommy hit a grand slam and strained his quad rounding first
Seriously? Lol
Yeah I don’t like this at all
As a dodger fan I love this
That says a lot.
Woke up this morning, got yourself a Dubon.
I wish that kid well. He plays with passion but he also can get distracted and make boneheaded decisions. Nevertheless, he’s a good player, can play CF and SS or just about anywhere and his bat is adequate.
Now that Walton trade makes a lot more sense.
So he’s Jose Siri without the power? Or is he closer to Marwin Gonzalez Utility player? The Astros CF is probably the only weak link on the team.
He hasn’t shown it much yet – but oh yeah, there’s power in his bat, despite his wiry build.
He’s got a decent bat and a great arm. He can be an asset to the Astro’s outfield.
A good arm, but low IQ plays. It’s a wash. I was never a fan of his inflated view of himself. He thought he was the new Crawford. No.
Nobody not even he thought he was the new Crawford. More like a bonehead on the base paths with a little pop and above average d
RoastGobot — “below average D?” What Dubon were you watching? The kid had an excellent glove and arm wherever he played. Good speed, too. Sure, he was over enthusiastic on the bases, but that was ironing itself out. He will be missed.
I still remember how excited he was to become a Giant. Sweet kid. The Giants hyped him! Suddenly they started playing him at second instead of Solano and before him it was scooter over Donnie. I complained relentlessly that Solano should start at 2nd but I guess the analytics didn’t go that way. Well I love being right!
I think we’re fine in CF; and Jake Meyers is due back in a few weeks
It’s currently the weak spot. Not worried about the rest of the team.
Why the Fk would they trade Casali? Think.
I get it, dave……a doob on.
Great pick up by Astros! Good all round player. Watched play for the Salem Red Sox, years ago!
Yeah, he was so highly touted for awhile I’m surprised they got rid of him, & for this. I assumed he would be a bit more given his versatility.
Nonetheless, he should be hitting .700 soon, ya know, with the Astros *extra spectacular* hitting coaches……
Zaidi losing confidence in Joey Bart? Bart getting traded next?
Not traded but if he doesn’t pick it up he’ll be going down.
Can’t see this career Astros minor leaguer coming up to replace Bart. That doesn’t do much.
Maybe trading casali?
Zero chance of that, IMO.
Why the FK would they trade Casali? Think.
Because hes a defense only catcher and they just traded for a defense only catcher
I would have said zero chance of trading dubon for a third catcher
Parpieski is not a “defense only catcher.” Take a look at his stats: great OBP, some pop and a switch hitter. I wouldn’t have traded Dubon for him, but I understand the Giants concern with Joey.
All the beat writers: below average offense above average defense…oh and he walks
Papierski is not a third catcher. He’s not on the 40 man roster let alone the ML roster. If anything this is a depth acquisition. Just because FZ acquires one catcher does not mean he intends to trade another one.
From what I understand the Giants have been extremely happy with Casali. There’s zero chance he gets traded.
Pete, was this a fair deal in your opinion? I assumed Dubon would’ve gone for more on the trade block.
The analytically minded Giants podcaster Ben Kaspick, told me this week that league average WRC+ for catchers this year is 81. Bart is sitting around 100. If my understanding of that stat is correct, he is performing at around league average as a hitter. Being saved by the walks. Kapler indicated this week he wanted more “contactability” but was ok as long he was taking walks.
But yeah, I look forward to improved “contactability”
Unfortunately, I don’t think the haul in a Bart trade would be very impressive right now. I was kinda hoping Z would trade Bart for a big bat this last offseason, but now, I think that’s be difficult to do now they Bart’s struggles are well known league wide.
Spent two of our first round picks on catchers. Dubon didn’t hit many but his moon shots were built for our park. Must be bigger moves coming
I liked Dubon, he was fun to watch.
His bad baserunning was not fun to watch.
This is sad for me. Dubon was a fan favorite. It’s weird because he wasn’t a great player, but we loved his infectious energy he brought to the team. I’ll miss him.
If does make sense now why the club made the trade with Seattle recently for infielder depth and that this move could signal to Bart that he could get called back down.
All I remember that once the new-ness rubbed off most complained about him. No doubt he was a fan favorite when he arrived.
nice pickup for Houston
Dubon was labeled a fringe player, but his hands were outstanding at SS and he surprised in CF with his range. That helped him accrue 2.2 WAR in only 484 at-bats. Intangibles were there too, he was always smiling, he grew up a Giants fan, and he brought good energy to the park. Swapping him for another catcher shows no faith in the youth movement of this team.
Facts versus Faith, Bart is an auto out at this level for now & needs to go down for some instruction. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this kid get a shot if Bart can’t snap out of it.
Accounting for the walks and the power, Bart is actually hitting better than the average MLB catcher. Also, it seems like this new guy is not his replacement, he’s actually meant as a depth piece for AAA / a backup in case Bart or Casali gets hurt. This was more about unloading Dubon (who’s out of options) and getting ready for LaStella (making $18 mil) to return.
Of the 27 Major League catchers with at least 70 plate appearances, Bart ranks 11th in fWAR and 6th in OBP. If he is an “auto out” then so is nearly every catcher in the league, so who replaces him?
This probably has more to do with Dubon not having any minor league options. When la Stella comes off the IL They’ll need to move someone off the 40 man and to the minors. It was either Dubon, Gonzalez, or Estrada.
I think you nailed it. None of the aforementioned trio would pass Waivers (imo) so you might as well deal one (or more?) for something the org needs/covets. The ol’ 40 Man Shimmy…
Exactly. If anyone is to blame here, I think it’s Gonzales. He was the only one of the three with minor league options but his performance at the plate made it impossible to send him down.
Good luck to Dubon. Came across as a nice guy. Hope he has some success.
Probabaly needed to make room for La Stella. Always rooted for Dubon but he is literally the worst base runner on earth. Honestly probably drops his war. Just not consistent enough. But wish him well.
I mean, I guess it may have been a little inevitable. La Stella is going to be back soonish and the Giants have a bit of surplus righty and lefty infield bats. Dubon; with no options, was on the fringe, just ripping the band aid now. Dubon had his moments on the base paths, but he also had some big moments (grew up a Giants fan too). Best of luck to Mauricio Dubon.
Probably came down to somebody having to move to bring in LaStella.
I agree this isn’t Zaidi’s best move but Dubon is an offensive liability and DFA was the only other option. Teams know when a player is out of Minor League options.
Estrada’s bat eliminated the need for Dubon in our infield, we have a surplus of outfielders which made him expendable there. The catcher they took in return appears to have a career .350 OBP which is likely to shore up the weakest offensive position since we have bart striking out more than half the time.
Dubon is versatile and good player but he has his flaws, as a kid from Sacramento I always rooted for him to succeed with the giants! But he has made some really bad errors this season, that and the inclusion of Estrada just make him expendable. Longoria is back la Stella will be soon and the giants have a roster crunch. Better to get something calculated , than lose a player for nothing. Best of luck in the Al west
Hopefully they release Goodrum, he is straight up horrible. Not sure how he is even playing in the big leagues?
Surprising to me; I really wanted him when I heard Detroit non-tendered him… but not now! Has his glove been great/good? I’ve only seen 1 or 2 Astro games this year and haven’t seen Goodrum enough to tell.
signing Goodrum was a very non-Astro thing to do. imo; TONS of k’s throughout career, which is NOT the Astros MO
True, but speed and power, and can play everywhere. If he hits .240, you can live with the k’s, if he’s a bench player. Unfortunately, he’s not even .200.
It was only like a 2M contract. Not exactly a huge amount (in MLB money.)
Posey retiring was going to have ramifications at some point.
Good luck Dubon! Hopefully someone can fix your base running.
Frankly, I think he already did. The brain spasms were a bug, not a feature. I’m guessing he’ll do well for his new team.
La Stella was the most unnecessary signing of the Zaidi tenure
I agree he seems like a spare part similar to Joc in the outfield. Joc has been hitting let’s hope la Stella does this season to justify his contract.
Yeah SF seems to have too many IFs. Something needed to be done. Realistically, they only have like a short window left before they need to rebuild the offense
There will be no “rebuild” – the Giants are a perpetual-motion org now.
SF does not have too many IFs. In fact, it’s impossible to have too many of anything in MLB. One of the reasons the Giants did so well last season is because they had a lot of depth.
Sorry the Giants are losing Dubon, a highly skilled, versatile, athletic player.
As for Papierski, he certainly does fit the profile of a Zaidi acquisition – low K rate and high OBP. Don’t know anything else about him … is he good behind the dish?
Papierski is a very very good defensive catcher who is limited offensively and was blocked by Korey Lee and had several catchers at A and AA with enough potential to pass him
According to the Houston Chronicle “Major league pitchers often raved about him when returning from rehab assignments “
Thank you.
Dubon started to pick it up as of Late. And a good time to trade him. As the roster crunch became a thing.
I wish him luck. He was fringe player at best for this team. Sometimes coming thru. A defensive option as well. But they can find another guy. Something Farhan does very well, short term.
Duggar’s next. Luis Gonzalez is a nice replacement.
Duggar’s on the 60 day IL – and he still has an option.
I agree that Duggar’s time with the team is very limited, and I believe Duggar does not have any remaining options. Could you verify? (I couldn’t find the info.)
Duggar is out of options.
Jake Mcgee is also still on this roster…
Duggar is one of those rare “extra” option-year guys – I don’t know how that works.
I read it here and at The Athletic weeks ago.
Giants podcast guy says he has one left. The official website for such info has zero, but reality is actually 1.
Yep, thanks. And if anybody knows, I’d like to know how a guy gets that 4th option-year – I mean who applies for it and under what circumstances is it granted.
Goob – “Players typically have three option years, but those who have accrued less than five full seasons (including both the Major and Minors) are eligible for a fourth if their three options have been exhausted already.”
While Gonzalez can play CF he’s not nearly as good there as Duggar is. Duggar had a 105 OPS+ last season, and his slow start this season is no reason to give up on him yet. With an option left, I doubt he goes anywhere anytime soon.
Yaz plays center, Slater plays center. In a pinch, LaMonte plays center. Duggar has the same problem Bart does: swing & miss.
Duggar has played in only 12 games this season. He had good numbers last season. In only 107 games he hit 8 HRs, 14 2Bs, 5 3Bs, stole 7 bases without a caught stealing, and played better defense in CF than anyone else on the Giants, for a 2.2 bWAR. but people want to cut loose because his first 12 games haven’t been good. Really?
Doobie had to go. Estrada better overall player on the infield and In the long run blocking Ramos in the outfield. Good skills but mental errors kept showing up. Thought he would get a better return though..
Don’t understand the criticism of LaStella. Plagued with injuries. He can hit but not the best fielder. Fan of Mauricio but he was the odd man out. We now have two recent additions. At least one of them will deliver.
This deal makes no sense but I guess you have to give Zaidi the benefit of the doubt given his track record. This kid is catching less than ever in AAA which makes me question his defensive profile and his career offensive stats in the minors are well below average too. Perhaps they see some untapped power potential in his bat, but the kid is already 26 years old so you’d think his power would have shown by now. Dubon’s versatility, defensive prowess and decent bat sure seem to be much more valuable than a 3rd string catcher/DH. I’m surprised this was the best offer Zaidi could get for him. I would have preferred a young pitching prospect instead. You can dream on young pitchers, but it’s hard to get excited about a 26 year old 3rd string catcher who doesn’t even catch much anymore. In Farhan We Trust?
It wasn’t the best offer, it was clearly the only standing offer. Tommy hit that grand slam in AAA friday night, so I they wanted to bring him up.
Dubon out of options so it was Trade him to HOU or DFA
Can’t wait for Tommy to get hurt again in 2 weeks… Duffy-level move. Bad just bad.
@jints1
I believe La Stella was the first multi-year (3 yrs) contract Zaidi ever did. You said it yourself, injuries (including a lot of playing while not 100%) and questionable defense.
But yes, his bat-to-ball skills are premier. BTW, he hit a grand slam yesterday in Sacramento, not that he’s a power guy or anything.
Looking at Papierski minor league numbers….they are UGLY!
He would have to make a radical departure from his numbers to be a below avg bat in MLB.
I guess people say his defense and handling of pitchers is excellent
Bart’s batting numbers are just as bad a Papierski, so it might a wash. Bart is clearly not ready for MLB.
Casilla is excellent w/pitchers and should be the #1 catcher going forward until Patrick Bailey or Ricardo Genoves come up
Martin Maldonado’s numbers in Houston are ugly and prominent people in Houston said he was the team MVP last year.
Fans don’t understand that MLB is a new world. Especially among the new age front offices.
Catching is not an offensive position anymore in these scenarios. It’s an extension of the pitching staff.
Job #1 work well with pitchers
Job #2 understand when pitcher needs to adjust and communicate that.
Job #3 know when a pitcher needs replaced
Job #4 frame pitches and get extra strikes
Job #5 control baserunners
Job #6 hit.
3. Should be the item you completely omitted. Ability to block balls in the dirt (preventing runners from moving up). Your #3 is the realm of the manager and pitching coach and is not a function of the C. Doing so would.make him completely suck at your #1. #4 should be control the running game, though its a far drop as most teams don’t have a running game. #5 is hitting. As framing is pretty much dependant on the umpire, rather than the C, and cannot be proven to be attributed to the C, you can list that at the bottom. I would much prefer the catcher stop the ball than let one get by him because he is trying to pull it back into the zone in the hopes he can fool the umpire.
Thanks for taking the time to read and consider my opinion.
Yes I should have included blocking balls in the dirt and catch the ball which would make hitting #7.
I do not agree about framing. It’s actually talked about and tracked even more than the other things I mentioned. It’s much much more important. I lowered it to #4 because of the inevitably of auto strike zones and the umps being so bad they still call borderline strikes balls and vice versa.
My point remains. Many organizations look at a bat in a catchers hands as an extra not needed.
I agree about framing being more important than blocking. And apparently so do a lot of ML clubs. A lot of teams are having the catcher receive with one knee on the ground. The belief is that helps the catcher frame pitches better. It obviously make blocking balls more difficult, so it’s easy to see what they think is more important.
I agree with the prominent people, and completely agree with your post. Machete ROCKS.
He needs to contribute offensively. D is good but not enough to justify his dreadful offense
Says you
But the Astros do not agree
Do you make the decisions?
It’s called an opinion
Datashark — Take a second look at Paierski’s offensive numbers. They are not “ugly.”
His career .358 OBP in the minors isn’t ugly. Especially not in Zaidi’s eyes.
always wanted to see what Dubon could do as a full-time player but he seems destined to be utility guy. This move is about creating flexibility more than anything, and I bet other moves are coming to build position player roster.
Dang. Dubon was the ultimate swiss army knife. He could play gold glove caliber defense at any position.. I know he’ll hit eventually.
This sucks but I saw it coming. It was either him or Estrada with LaStella coming back.
I’m pretty sure the Giants are going to stich with Bart even if he hits below .200. He is handling the staff well this year, playin=g good defense. I looked at trade options and they all suck. Even Realmuto is mediocre this year and Grandal is terrible. But if Bart or Casalli gets injured there was no plan B.
Why weren’t the A’s in on this??!! You know how many spots Dubon could fill on that team?!
My guess would be one. At least one at a time anyway.
Yeah, trying to play multiple positions simultaneously would probably spread a guy a too thin. 🙂
Its never known which teams were in on it. Only which teams ended up agreeing.
Maybe they were. We don’t know who was interested in Dubon. Maybe the Giants just liked the return from the Astros better.
In an interview GM James Click said the Giants have been asking about Papierski for months.
Looks like Niko Goodrum gonna get DFA’d
I really hope they do DFA Goodrum. They took a cheap flyer on the guy in the off-season of 1 million on his contract. Barely above league minimum. My biggest concern is our catching depth and we just thinned that out with this trade. All our pitchers that had to do rehab at AAA raved about his ability to frame, communicate, and control the running game. He was playing more first base because he was basically blocked by Corey Lee. Lee is our catcher of the future for sure. Although I like Maldonado for his catching and how he controls the running game, my patience with his auto out is getting thin. Our MLB catching tandem of Maldonado and Castro are both hitting below .100.That is just acceptable for a team of this caliber. I would have rather them DFA Goodrum and called up Lee to see if he was ready. He was a solid college player and seems to handle pitchers well. We have to address this sooner rather than later IMO.
The Astros are still deep in catching depth. Maybe this move comes back to haunt the team, but I think it’s a win. Pap isn’t even a top 30 prospect and he’ll be Rule 5 eligible. Lee, Diaz, and Manea all have potential. Plus, I can see the team retaining Maldy as a backup for next year.
The team desperately needs a backup infielder. I hope Dubon is the guy.
After tonight’s blowout, I can definitely see your point. Goodrum just looks overmatched on both sides of the ball. Siri is way to swing happy for my taste. I see them optioning Siri to AAA to work on pitch recognition as the roster move for Dubon. I don’t see Dusty carrying 3 utility bench players when Siri still has options. AF84 do you think Lee gets a look this year or after September call ups?
I know the question wasn’t for me but I only see Lee getting a taste of MLB this year if there is an injury to Maldy that will give him regular playing time.
He’s not on the 40 man and that is a big crunch right now.
Also, unlike in the past, only 1 position player gets added in September.
Maldy is already under contract for next year. Castro is a free agent.
My hope is that Lee and Maldy share the job next year with Lee learning all he can.
Then Lee should be primary starter in 2024 with a yet to be determined veteran back up.
The organization is still very deep at catcher with Lee, Manea, Diaz, Berryhill, and Salazar up and coming.
Great take. For some reason I thought both Malady and Castro were free agents next year. I would love to see Maldy doing the mentorship role. Alot of that is also going to depend on who our manager is next year. If Dusty is still at the helm, Maldy will get the bulk of playing time IMO. I really hope the finally hand the reins over to Joe Espada. Baker is on a one year deal and if we don’t make Espada a manager, someone else will. He’s been interviewed by to many teams. He knows the system, knows the players, and seems to be generally liked by the FO.
I used to think Joey Bart was awesome, apparently not, is he doing better this season