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Giants Sign Will Bednar, Matt Mikulski

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The Giants have signed their first round pick Will Bednar, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Bednar and the Giants agreed to a $3.65MM signing bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That comes in a little under slot for the 14th overall pick in the draft, which comes with a $4.04MM slot value.

Bednar is a right-handed starting pitcher who won the Most Outstanding Player award for Mississippi State during the College World Series. He used a fastball/slider combo to outduel some of the biggest names in college baseball en route to leading Mississippi State to their first-ever CWS title.

He finished the tourney with a 1.47 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings in three starts. In the biggest game of his life, Bednar tossed six no-hit innings to notch the win in the clinching game opposite Kumar Rocker of Vanderbilt.

Prior to the draft, Baseball America had Bednar ranked as the 18th prospect in the draft, while ESPN had him one spot higher. Fangraphs, MLB.com, and The Athletic were less certain of Bednar’s upside, putting him at No. 32 in their pre-draft rankings. Those differences in opinion could at least in part explain the Giants’ ability to save some money in their bonus amount.

The Giants also came in under slot for second round pick Matt Mikulski, who signed for $1.2MM, below the $1.5MM slot value for the 50th pick in the draft, per Callis.

Baseball America and The Athletic had Mikulski projected at No. 39 overall, and Fangraphs had him one spot higher. MLB.com had him a little further down at No. 50 overall. ESPN was the bottom man in terms of their valuation of Mikulski. Kiley McDaniel had him ranked at just No. 99 overall.

The Fordham southpaw reaches back for up to 98 mph on his fastball, but he was a fourth-year senior with some concerns that he might be a reliever long-term. The 22-year-old posted an impressive 1.45 ERA in 11 starts with the Rams last season with 124 strikeouts to just 27 walks in 68 1/3 innings.

Joey Bart “Most Likely” Giants Top Prospect “To Be Available” In Trades

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The Giants are known to be busy exploring upgrades on the pitching and lineup fronts as the trade deadline approaches, with such names as Starling Marte and Danny Duffy known to be of interest to the NL West leaders.  As to what San Francisco is willing to give up in a potential trade, one of the game’s top prospects might be somewhat available, as Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle writes that “among the team’s most high-profile minor-leaguers, catcher Joey Bart is the most likely player to be available.”

It’s worth noting that this falls well short of the Giants actually dangling Bart in trade talks, nor does it indicate that the club has any particular inclination to move Bart.  But, in a trade market where it has become increasingly rare to see blue chip prospects moved in any sort of deal (particularly at the deadline), it is certainly noteworthy that such a highly-touted minor leaguer could be available at all for the right price.

Marco Luciano, Heliot Ramos, and Bart are only the Giants prospects on all of the current top 100 prospect rankings for MLB Pipeline, Fangraphs, and Baseball America, while outfielder Luis Matos appears on the Fangraphs and BA lists.  At 24, Bart is the oldest of this group, and the only one to have reached the big leagues, posting a .612 OPS over 117 plate appearances in the last two seasons.  Thanks to the canceled 2020 minor league campaign, Bart was promoted to the Show without any Triple-A experience and barely even any Double-A experience, but has been mashing Triple-A pitching this year.

In short, Bart likely hasn’t done anything to have lowered his stock in the eyes of the Giants front office.  However, San Francisco’s catching situation has been altered by two factors — Buster Posey’s re-emergence as a star, and the club’s selection of Patrick Bailey with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft.  It now seems at least plausible that the Giants could exercise their $22MM club option on Posey for the 2022 season, or the Giants could perhaps work out a multi-year extension with the longtime face of the franchise.  That could make Posey into a bridge to Bailey as the catcher of the future, leaving Bart somewhat expendable.

Needless to say, the Giants wouldn’t move Bart in just any trade.  It is very safe to say that Bart wouldn’t be moved for a rental player, or perhaps even a player only controlled through 2022.  But, he stands out as a major trade chip to aid the team in acquiring players who are under longer-term control, or conceivably as part of a multi-player trade that would see the Giants hypothetically land multiple players controlled through 2022.

With a top prospect potentially on offer, it gives Zaidi yet another asset at the trade deadline, beyond the advantage the Giants already have in future payroll commitments.  With less than $31MM in payroll committed for the 2022 season, the Giants can certainly absorb a big contract or two.  If the Giants can take such a deal off another team’s books, Slusser notes that they might not have to move any top-tier prospects at all, as the other team might accept lesser minor leaguers as the return for the financial relief.

Giants Interested In Danny Duffy

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Though Danny Duffy was placed on the Royals’ 10-day injured list on Tuesday, the Giants still have trade interest in the veteran southpaw, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.  “Injuries don’t give San Francisco much pause in general,” Slusser notes, citing the team’s signing of John Brebbia in the offseason as Brebbia was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Naturally, the Giants’ interest will hinge on just exactly how hurt Duffy is, considering that this is the second time he has visited the IL this season with a left flexor strain.  That earlier IL stint sidelined Duffy for close to six weeks, so if a similar recovery period is required, he won’t be available for the Royals, Giants, or any other club until the first week of September.  This still makes Duffy a potential difference-maker in a pennant race, though that assumes that he’ll still be effective after this latest layoff, and it also assumes that he won’t need a longer time to heal up considering that this is a recurring injury.

It adds yet another wrinkle to Duffy’s interesting case a trade candidate.  While the Statcast metrics haven’t been great for the 32-year-old, Duffy has strong bottom-line numbers, with a 2.51 ERA and an above-average 25.8% strikeout rate over 61 innings.  He is also a free agent after the season and thus a seemingly logical trade chip for the struggling Royals, though Duffy has full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 player, and he has been public about his desire to remain with the Royals for the entirety of his career.

However, there has been some indication that Duffy (born in Goleta, California) might be willing to accept a trade to the West Coast.  As such, teams like the Padres, Dodgers, and now the Giants have reportedly been linked to Duffy, though it remains to be seen if the other California teams also wouldn’t balk at acquiring an injured player.  As Slusser notes, Duffy’s injury surely lowers the Royals’ asking price in a trade, so a team like San Francisco could potentially see him as something of a buy-low lottery ticket acquisition.

In other Giants trade rumblings, Slusser reports that the Cardinals and Rangers have had scouts recently watching the Giants, so some potential trade chips on those teams (if St. Louis indeed decides to sell at the deadline) could be on San Francisco’s radar.  On the pitching end, Kyle Gibson, Kwang Hyun Kim, or even longtime Cardinal Adam Wainwright stand out.  Slusser notes that the outfield is a target area for the Giants, so Rangers slugger Joey Gallo would be a major fit.

Giants Interested In Starling Marte

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The Giants are a “key” team to watch as the Marlins market center fielder Starling Marte in the coming weeks, reports Craig Mish of the Miami Herald. Miami and Marte recently halted extension talks, and Mish now adds that the team balked at guaranteeing the 32-year-old Marte a fourth year on the contract.

Giants center fielders, buoyed by Steven Duggar’s recent hot streak, are hitting .262/.337/.420 on the season, but Duggar’s .398 average on balls in play and 31.8 percent strikeout rate point to some likely regression on the horizon. Left field has actually been a bigger issue, as the Giants have put together a collective .219/.295/.394 batting line from that position. Those struggles have come in large part due to Alex Dickerson, who could stand to lose some playing time in the event of an acquisition of Marte or another outfielder.

Marte, a free agent at season’s end, is earning $12.5MM this season and is still owed about $5MM of that sum through season’s end ($4.37MM from the point of the deadline). He’s hitting .288/.389/.447 with a career-best 11.8 percent walk rate, seven homers and 19 stolen bases through 245 plate appearances so far in 2021. He missed about five weeks with a fractured rib earlier in the season but has looked healthy and productive since returning at the end of May.

From a payroll vantage point, the Giants needn’t have any concerns acquiring Marte or nearly any other player. San Francisco has about $151MM on the books for 2021 and only about $158MM worth of luxury-tax obligations, leaving them miles from the $210MM barrier. This is also an ownership group that has, in the past, given the green light to payrolls in excess of $200MM, so there’s ample room to take on salary in any deal.

The Giants have a solid farm system, though when we’re talking about one rental player, a deep stock of minor league prospects isn’t required anyhow. Mish suggests that top outfield prospect Heliot Ramos, in particular, is of interest to the Marlins — but that’d be a rather steep price to pay for a Marte rental. The Marlins have some relievers who could pique the Giants’ interest, though; Giants president of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi is no doubt quite familiar with former Dodgers Yimi Garcia and Dylan Floro from his days in the Los Angeles front office, for instance.

Miami is also deep in young starting pitching. For a Giants club that could see nearly all of its rotation reach free agency this winter — Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Johnny Cueto and Aaron Sanchez are all free agents — the Marlins and their impressive crop of young starting pitching seem like a strong trade partner.

Because of the lack of center fielders on the market, the Giants will have plenty of competition for Marte. He’s already been connected to the Yankees, the Phillies and the Astros, and there are several other contenders who could look for help in center field — or just the outfield in general. Marte is certainly a capable defender in center, but he’d fit nicely in a corner for a team looking to more generally upgrade its lineup. The Padres are reportedly looking into some upgrades in right field. The Mets have been linked to center field help throughout the season, and the White Sox have been hit hard with outfield injuries, too. The Giants are as strong a fit as anyone, but the competition will be significant.

Drew Robinson Announces Retirement

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Former major league outfielder Drew Robinson announced his retirement this evening. His full statement can be found on Twitter.

That Robinson is in position to announce his retirement from affiliated ball is nothing short of remarkable. As he detailed to Jeff Passan of ESPN for an article in February, Robinson attempted suicide in April 2020 amidst a battle with depression. The incident left his right eye beyond repair, but he survived and resumed his career against all odds, signing a minor league deal with the Giants last offseason.

As Robinson explains in his retirement announcement, he’s transitioning to a new role in the San Francisco organization as a mental health advocate. He’ll now be tasked with “(helping) other players address their emotional well-being more comfortably.”

Robinson did not return to the majors with the Giants, but he appeared in the big leagues with the Rangers and Cardinals between 2017-19. He played an even 100 games at the highest level, hitting .202/.296/.359 with nine home runs. There’s no doubt Robinson’s impact on MLB and its fans has gone and will continue to go far beyond his on-field performance. MLBTR congratulates Robinson on making a successful return to professional baseball and wishes him all the best in his new role.

Giants Select Jay Jackson

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The Giants announced this afternoon they’re selecting the contract of reliever Jay Jackson. To create space on the 40-man roster, San Francisco transferred third baseman Evan Longoria from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. To create active roster space, infielder Jason Vosler was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Additionally, staff ace Kevin Gausman has been placed on the family medical emergency list. Righty Logan Webb was recalled to start tonight’s game against the Cardinals in his place.

Jackson returns to the majors for the first time since 2019. That year, he made 28 appearances out of the Brewers bullpen. Across 30 1/3 innings, the hard-throwing righty pitched to a 4.45 ERA/3.57 SIERA. Jackson showed legitimate swing-and-miss stuff, racking up whiffs on 17.7% of his offerings and striking out hitters at a fantastic 35.6% clip. He also had some obvious control issues, though, walking 13.6% of batters faced that season.

The 33-year-old spent part of the 2020 campaign with the Chiba Lotte Mariners of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball before returning to the U.S. last summer. He signed a minors deal with San Francisco in January and has earned his way back to the big leagues with a fantastic start to the season in Sacramento. Jackson has made eight appearances with the River Cats and tossed eleven scoreless innings, punching out a whopping 48.6% of opponents against a minuscule 2.7% walk rate.

Longoria landed on the IL on June 6 with a left shoulder sprain. He’s now ineligible to come back until 60 days have passed since that original placement — not today’s transfer date — so he can return during the first week of August. It seems there’s some chance he’ll do so, as manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Longoria’s doing well in his recovery. It has been an incredible bounceback season for the 35-year-old, who is hitting .280/.376/.516 over 186 plate appearances.

Dodgers Claim Jimmie Sherfy, Designate Bobby Wahl

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The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Jimmie Sherfy off waivers from the Giants, according to multiple reporters (including MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado and Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times).  Righty Bobby Wahl was designated for assignment to create roster space.

San Francisco designated Sherfy for assignment last week.  After being released by the Diamondbacks last August, Sherfy caught on with the Giants on a minors contract during the winter and tossed 10 2/3 MLB innings this season (posting a 4.22 ERA and 19.6% strikeout rate).  Sherfy totaled 45 1/3 innings over parts of the 2017-19 seasons with Arizona but didn’t see any big league action in 2020.

The Dodgers will now give Sherfy a look in their organization and may be pretty quickly parting ways with Wahl, who was acquired on another waiver claim off the Brewers’ roster just two weeks ago.  Wahl’s tenure with the Dodgers has thus far consisted of just one total inning over two appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The right-hander has 15 1/3 total innings on his big league resume, with 13 of those frames coming with the A’s and Mets in 2017-18 and the other 2 1/3 innings coming with the Brewers in 2020.  Wahl didn’t pitch at all in 2019 due to a torn ACL, and he has a 3.90 ERA and some big strikeout numbers (31.29% strikeout rate) over 233 career innings in the minors.

Giants Recall Joey Bart, Option Logan Webb

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The Giants have recalled top prospect Joey Bart and optioned starter Logan Webb to Triple-A, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter).

With Buster Posey landing on the 10-day injured list, it certainly stands to reason that Bart could have the opportunity for some playing time. Actually, however, this move appears to be at least as much about getting Webb some work in Triple-A during the All-Star break as it is about replacing Posey on the roster. Both means are likely to be short-term placements, suggests Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).

As much as fans might want to get a look at Bart, the second overall pick of the 2018 draft, this isn’t likely to be the promotion that earns him regular playing time, though he is slated to start tonight’s ballgame. Only two games remain before the All-Star break, however, and Curt Casali offers a more than suitable short-term stand-in for Posey. They also have Chadwick Tromp on the roster.

Bart, 24, has one plate appearance this season to go with 111 trips during the 2020 campaign. He has hit .231/.286/.317 for his career up till now. He’s done more than enough to prove his worth with the Sacramento River Cats this year, however, slashing .338/.400/.581 in 150 plate appearances in Triple-A.

As for Webb, the 24-year-old right-hander has spent much of the year in the rotation, making 11 starts to a 3.63 ERA/3.15 FIP over 52 innings. Webb has been somewhat on the outside of the rotation picture for much of the season, but as much as the Giants have wanted to try him out in a multi-inning relief role, injuries have kept Webb in the rotation as long he he’s been healthy. It will be more than a week until the Giants need a fifth starter again, however, so Webb will be able to get some work in over the All-Star break while with Sacramento.

In other Giants news, outfielder Mike Tauchman will begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A today, notes Guardado. Tauchman has been out since June 30th with a sprained knee.

Giants Notes: Posey, Webb, La Stella, Sanchez, Rotation

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The Giants activated right-hander Logan Webb from the 10-day injured list to start tonight’s game against the Nationals. In a corresponding move, Buster Posey was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to July 6, with a left thumb contusion.

Posey hasn’t played since leaving last Sunday’s game early after being struck by a foul tip. It doesn’t seem there’s huge cause for concern, as the star backstop told reporters (including Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area and Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic) he’s hopeful he’ll return when first eligible next Friday. That’d be the Giants first game coming out of the All-Star Break, and it doesn’t seem there was any chance of Posey playing during this weekend’s series with Washington. The former MVP told reporters he’s currently unable to catch or swing the bat. Of course, that’ll also rule Posey out from participating in the All-Star Game, which he’d been slated to start as the National League’s representative at catcher.

In better health news for the Giants, infielder Tommy La Stella is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Pavlovic). A significant hamstring strain sent La Stella to the injured list on May 4. He began a rehab assignment in late June but suffered a fracture in his right hand that halted his recovery. It’s been a disappointing season for La Stella, who has hit .235/.297/.353 over his first 75 plate appearances.

He’ll be joined on the rehab assignment by right-hander Aaron Sanchez (relayed by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). Like La Stella, Sanchez went on the IL in early May, began a rehab assignment last month, and then had to be shut down because of an unrelated setback. Sanchez’s initial injury was biceps inflammation, but his comeback was delayed by a blister. He’s apparently ready to return to game action, as he’ll start for Low-A San Jose tomorrow night.

Getting Webb and Sanchez back should help fortify a starting rotation that has been one of the league’s best. Nevertheless, San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi suggested the club could be in the market for external rotation help before the July 30 trade deadline (via Maria Guardado of MLB.com). With Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Johnny Cueto and Webb all having decent to stellar seasons, there seems to be little room on the surface for another starter, especially with Sanchez nearing a return.

That’s a group that (aside from Gausman) has traditionally had issues staying healthy, though, so it’s plenty sensible for the San Francisco front office to look to add some depth. At 54-32, the Giants are up a game on the Dodgers and four games up on the Padres in a tightly-contested NL West. There’s plenty of logic in safeguarding against potential injuries for the stretch run.

There’s also the matter of the Giants longer-term outlook to consider. Of their current starters, only Webb is a lock to be back in 2022. Gausman, DeSclafani and Wood are all slated to hit free agency, while Cueto’s $22MM club option is likely to be bought out for $5MM. Zaidi downplayed the importance of adding a multi-year player — instead suggesting the bigger priority is simply stockpiling depth for the second half of 2021 — but the front office figures to at least explore acquisitions of potential starters who could solidify the rotation beyond this season as well.

Giants Activate Tyler Beede, Designate Jimmie Sherfy

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The Giants announced they’ve reinstated right-hander Tyler Beede from the 60-day injured list. Reliever Jimmie Sherfy has been designated for assignment to open active and 40-man roster space. Additionally, San Francisco placed outfielder Jaylin Davis on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain and recalled infielder Jason Vosler.

Beede is in line to make his first major league appearance since 2019. The former first-round pick underwent an ill-timed Tommy John surgery in March 2020. That cost him all of last season and almost the entire first half of 2021. Beede was a regular member of San Francisco’s starting five during his last healthy run. He made 24 appearances (22 starts) in 2019, tossing 117 innings of 5.08 ERA ball with average strikeout and walk rates (21.6% and 8.8%, respectively). There could be room for Beede to step back into the rotation; Logan Webb has been on the IL since last month due to a shoulder strain, and Sammy Long just hit the IL himself due to a low back strain.

Sherfy signed a minor league deal with the Giants over the offseason and earned a spot on the big league roster in early June. The 29-year-old pitched respectably over 10 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and four walks with nine strikeouts. Sherfy has pitched in the majors in each of the past four years, combining for 56 innings of 3.21 ERA/3.99 SIERA ball. That solid track record could attract the interest of another club, although any acquiring team would have to keep the out-of-options Sherfy on the active roster or designate him for assignment themselves. The Giants will have a week to trade the right-hander or place him on waivers.

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