Giants To Acquire Tony Watson From Angels
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.
Giants Select Scott Kazmir, Designate Braden Bishop
Scott Kazmir‘s comeback story is complete, as the Giants have selected the veteran southpaw’s contract from Triple-A. Kazmir will start for the Giants in today’s game against the Dodgers — ironically, the team Kazmir last pitched for in the big leagues, back during the 2016 season. In corresponding moves, outfielder Braden Bishop was designated for assignment, and left-hander Sam Selman was optioned to Triple-A.
After appearing in parts of 12 MLB seasons from 2004-16, Kazmir pitched 12 innings with the Dodgers’ Triple-A team in 2017 but it seemed like his career was drawing to a close. However, the left-hander announced in early 2020 that he was preparing a comeback attempt, and after a stint in independent baseball, Kazmir landed a minor league deal with San Francisco last February.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is no stranger to Kazmir, as the southpaw pitched for the Athletics and Dodgers when Zaidi was working in those clubs’ front offices. Since being hired as the Giants’ PBO, Zaidi has also developed a knack for finding hidden gems and reviving stalled careers — this roster development can be seen in the standings, as many of those unheralded players have helped the Giants to a 28-17 record.
Kazmir might represent the most impressive revival yet, considering his 37-year-old age, his long absence from the big leagues, and the number of injuries that dotted his career. It is worth remembering, however, that when Kazmir was in his prime, he was a very effective pitcher. Kazmir has appeared in three All-Star games, helped the Rays reach the World Series in 2008, and he has a 4.01 ERA over 1689 2/3 innings.
San Francisco has received excellent results from its rotation so far, though Kazmir will now get an opportunity due to injuries to Aaron Sanchez and Logan Webb. Sanchez’s return may be a while off and Webb’s shoulder strain isn’t thought to be overly serious, but Kazmir will get some time to show what he can do in 2021.
Bishop’s tenure with the Giants could come to a quick end, as the team only claimed him off waivers from the Mariners on May 17. Bishop has appeared in each of the last three MLB seasons, hitting .133/.188/.156 over 99 plate appearances with Seattle.
Giants Place Mike Yastrzemski On Injured List
The Giants are placing Mike Yastrzemski on the 10-day injured list, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to pass along. Sam Selman has been recalled in a corresponding roster move.
Yastrzemski’s IL trip isn’t all that surprising, as the outfielder has been nursing a mild oblique strain since Sunday. While the Giants had initially hoped he would be able to avoid a trip to the IL, it seems he’ll need at least an extra few days to recover. The 30-year-old has been one of the Giants’ top hitters in recent seasons, even earning some down-ballot MVP support last year. Yastrzemski got off to a tough start in 2021, but he had seemingly begun to turn the corner over the past few series. Altogether, he’s managed a .215/.303/.468 line with four home runs in 89 plate appearances so far this year.
With Yastrzemski ailing, the Giants acquired another left-handed hitting outfielder, Mike Tauchman, in a trade with the Yankees yesterday. Tauchman joins a mix that’ll also include Austin Slater, Alex Dickerson, Mauricio Dubón and Skye Bolt while Yastrzemski is on the shelf.
Giants Designate Trevor Gott For Assignment
The Giants announced that they’ve designated right-hander Trevor Gott for assignment and optioned lefty Sam Selman to their alternate training site. The pair of moves makes room for lefty Jake McGee and righty Logan Webb to be reinstated from the injured list.
This is the second time since the offseason that the Giants have designated Gott, who lasted just one day on their roster this time. The Giants selected Gott heading into Monday’s game against the Phillies, though he didn’t make an appearance. Now, with McGee and Webb back from a brief stay on the COVID list, he’s once again in DFA limbo.
The 28-year-old Gott is in his third season in the San Francisco organization, with which he saw significant action in 2019, totaling 52 2/3 innings. The Giants’ reliance on Gott has dwindled since then, however. All told, Gott has pitched to a 5.46 ERA (with a much better 4.23 SIERA) and a 24 percent strikeout rate against a 9.2 percent walk rate in 64 1/3 frames as a Giant.
Giants Designate Dan Winkler For Assignment
The Giants announced that they’ve designated right-hander Dan Winkler for assignment Thursday. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to lefty Sam Selman, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants also placed outfielder Alex Dickerson on the 10-day injured list due to an oblique strain.
Winkler’s DFA comes less than 24 hours after the Giants acquired him in the trade that sent Mark Melancon to Atlanta. Jettisoning Winkler underscores that the move was largely one about finances for the Giants, who were stunningly able to unload the entirety of Melancon’s remaining $18.3MM on the Braves.
The 29-year-old Winkler has struggled in 2019, pitching to an ugly 4.98 ERA with a 22-to-11 K/BB ratio in 21 2/3 innings of relief this season. He’s had similar struggles in Triple-A (4.86 ERA, 20-to-18 K/BB in 16 2/3 innings) but is not far removed from a strong 2018 showing. Last season, Winkler pitched to a 3.43 earned run average (and a 2.76 FIP) with 10.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 0.45 HR/9 and a 38.3 percent ground-ball rate. He has minor league options remaining beyond the 2019 season, making it somewhat surprising that the Giants apparently aren’t planning to take a look at him. Winkler can’t be traded to another organization under this season’s new trade structure but can be claimed on outright waivers.
Selman will be making his MLB debut as a 28-year-old rookie after posting some jaw-dropping numbers in the minors. After tossing seven shutout innings in Double-A, he moved up to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and turned in 40 frames of 1.35 ERA ball with 65 strikeouts (14.6 K/9) against 13 walks (2.9 BB/9). He’s benefited from a minuscule .203 BABIP and an 86 percent strand rate, but Selman’s ability to miss bats and limit walks is intriguing.
As for Dickerson, he’s not expected to miss more than 10 days with his current ailment (Twitter link via Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News). The 29-year-old has been a godsend for the Giants and helped to fuel San Francisco’s surge back into the Wild Card picture, hitting .346/.402/.664 with six homers, 10 doubles and three triples in 117 plate appearances.
That level of output isn’t likely to be maintained, as Dickerson’s .413 average on balls in play is the fourth-highest of any hitter in baseball (min. 100 PAs). He’s also battled significant injury issues throughout his career. That said, he does have an outstanding Triple-A track record (.333/.398/.541 in 892 PAs) and enjoyed some big league success with the Padres back in 2016. He’s controlled three more seasons beyond 2019, making him an intriguing find for the Giants even if (or when) his bat regresses to some extent.