Twins, Giants Swap LaMonte Wade Jr., Shaun Anderson
The Twins have traded outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to the Giants for right-hander Shaun Anderson, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said earlier Thursday the team was looking for a left-handed-hitting outfielder whom they could option to the minors if necessary, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted. Wade checks those boxes. The 27-year-old has one option left, though whether he’ll prove to be a solution for the Giants at the major league level remains to be seen. He batted an unspectacular .211/.336/.347 in 113 plate appearances as a Twin from 2019-20, but Wade has put up decent production in the minors and always shown that he has a good eye. So far in the majors, Wade has amassed almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (18). He’ll now attempt to join the Giants as a backup outfielder, as they already have Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Mauricio Dubon and Austin Slater in line for jobs.
Anderson, 26, pitched to a 5.17 ERA/5.26 SIERA with below-average strikeout and walk rates of 17.8 and 10.1 percent, respectively, as a Giant in 111 1/3 innings from 2019-20. But Anderson averaged almost 95 mph on his fastball last year, owns a 3.99 ERA in 85 2/3 frames in Triple-A frames, and has two options left. The Twins’ rotation is largely set with Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ and Randy Dobnak, but Anderson adds some depth as a starter or reliever for the organization.
Giants Option Shaun Anderson, Steven Duggar To Triple-A
The Giants have optioned right-hander Shaun Anderson and outfielder Steven Duggar to Triple-A Sacramento, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic was among those to report. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said neither player positioned himself in spring training to make the Giants’ Opening Day roster, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle relays.
The 25-year-old Anderson got off to a respectable start as a rookie last season, but he was battered in the second half, leading to a 5.44 ERA/4.77 FIP across 96 innings. Anderson managed uninspiring strikeout and walk numbers along the way, fanning 6.56 per nine with 3.56 BB/9. While Anderson still entered the spring hoping to grab a spot in the Giants’ bullpen, he’ll have to earn his way back via the minors in 2020, if a baseball season even occurs.
Duggar, 26, endured a rough 2019 season, in part because of left shoulder issues. He wound up with a meek .234/.278/.341 batting line in 281 plate appearances, thereby offsetting quality numbers in center and right (plus-6 Defensive Runs Saved, 5 Outs Above Average, plus-1.2 Ultimate Zone Rating). As someone who was a well-regarded prospect during his younger days, perhaps Duggar will eventually emerge as the Giants’ answer in center. In the near term, though, they could turn to offseason minor league signing Billy Hamilton up the middle.
Quick Hits: Arenado, Boyd, Andujar, Giants
Nolan Arenado‘s name has frequented the rumor mill of late, but ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required) that one evaluator whose team has spoken to the Rockies about Arenado is under the impression that the club isn’t aggressively looking to offload the contract. Arenado has seven years and $234MM remaining on his contract, an opt-out clause after 2021 and a full o-trade clause, making him a difficult player to trade even if the front office was strongly motivated to do so. Colorado GM Jeff Bridich rather broadly acknowledged that “this is the time of year where we at least listen” earlier this month, but there’s been little indication that there’s anything more significant than that “listening” going on with regard to Arenado.
Some more trade talk from around the league…
- Matthew Boyd‘s second-half struggles won’t push the Tigers to back down from the high asking price they’ve set in trade talks, writes Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press. General manager Al Avila has repeatedly downplayed the notion that he’s shopping Boyd while also acknowledging that he’s been willing to listen to offers when approached by another club. Fenech, though, suggests that Boyd is likely to be Spring Training with the Tigers and might have to endure another half season’s worth of trade inquiries leading up to the July 31 trade deadline in 2020. He adds that Avila and the Tigers have yet to approach Boyd regarding an extension, which isn’t a huge surprise given the team’s rebuilding status and the fact that Boyd is controlled through 2022 anyhow.
- Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone both said Friday that they expect third baseman Miguel Andujar to be ready for Spring Training, per Dan Martin of the New York Post. A shoulder injury that required surgery torpedoed Andujar’s would-be sophomore season in the Bronx. In his absence, he was both a subject of trade inquiries and at least somewhat pushed for his starting job by the surprise breakout of Gio Urshela. Andujar and Urshela seem likely to compete for at-bats this spring, though Cashman has previously called the hot corner Urshela’s position to lose. Andujar has minor league options remaining if he shows signs of rust in Florida; Urshela is out of minor league options.
- The Giants will likely continue experimenting with the roles of their pitchers in 2020, writes Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Shaun Anderson is one of several younger pitchers identified by Pavlovic for a potential hybrid starter/reliever role, and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi tells Pavlovic that the right-hander expressed a willingness to pitch in any role in a meeting between the two after the season. It’s hard to imagine veterans Johnny Cueto or Jeff Samrdzija being deployed as anything other than conventional starters, and the Giants will surely want some continuity in their starting staff beyond that. (Offseason signee Kevin Gausman has been primarily a starter in the big leagues and was compensated as such with his $9MM deal.) But, as Pavlovic explores, the Giants also have several fringe rotation candidates who could get looks in multi-inning roles as the team looks to build out its pitching staff for the foreseeable future.
NL Injury Notes: McCann, Freeland, Cueto, Anderson
Brian McCann left Tuesday’s game with what the Braves described as left knee soreness. The veteran catcher was set to undergo tests today, and manager Brian Snitker indicated to reporters (including Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that he didn’t yet know if McCann would need to be moved to the injured list. Alex Jackson is most obvious candidate to be called up from the minors to back up Tyler Flowers if McCann does require an IL stint, though Atlanta also picked up John Ryan Murphy in a trade deadline swap with the Diamondbacks. Calling up Murphy would require the Braves to make room on the 40-man roster, however. McCann has hit .264/.336/.423 with 10 homers over 274 plate appearances this season (while also posting some above-average framing numbers), giving the Braves some extra pop from the catcher position as Flowers has had a down year at the plate.
More injury news from around the NL…
- Kyle Freeland left Tuesday’s game in the sixth inning due to a strained groin, and the Rockies left-hander seems likely to spend some time on the injured list. Freeland told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post and other reporters that the injury feels similar to a strain that also put him on the IL back in 2017, though only for a minimal stint. The injury continues what has been a nightmare of a season for Freeland, as he has a 6.98 ERA and 22.9% home run rate over 99 1/3 innings, and also spent almost a month and a half at Triple-A in an attempt to get himself on track.
- Giants manager Bruce Bochy gave an unofficial projection of September 8 as Johnny Cueto‘s potential return date to the majors, as Bochy told reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman) on Tuesday. Cueto threw 60 pitches in a rehab outing for the Class-A San Jose Giants yesterday, and he’ll make the first of two rehab starts for Triple-A Sacramento on Monday. Assuming the tentative September 8 date stands, it will mark just over 13 months between Tommy John surgery and a Major League mound for Cueto.
- In other Giants injury news, right-hander Shaun Anderson has started his own Triple-A rehab assignment, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Anderson hit the IL on August 8 due to a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand, so he shouldn’t require too long of a ramp-up period before he is able to rejoin the Giants. Anderson has a 5.33 ERA, 1.77 K/BB rate, and a 6.0 K/9 over 82 2/3 innings in what has been a rather inconsistent rookie season for the 24-year-old.
Giants Place Shaun Anderson, Steven Duggar On IL
The Giants announced Thursday that they’ve placed right-hander Shaun Anderson and outfielder Steven Duggar on the injured list. Anderson is dealing with a blister on his right middle finger, while Duggar’s down with a left shoulder AC joint sprain. The club recalled lefty Sam Selman and outfielder Joey Rickard from Triple-A Sacramento in corresponding moves.
The injury comes amid a rough stretch for the 24-year-old Anderson, who hasn’t recorded a quality start since June 23. The Nationals roughed up Anderson in his most recent start Wednesday, contributing to the rookie’s 5.33 ERA on the season. Anderson also owns a 4.97 FIP with 5.99 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 in 82 2/3 innings.
This will be his second IL placement of the year for Duggar, who has been among the least valuable players in the majors this season. The 25-year-old has taken 281 trips to the plate in 2019 and slashed .234/.278/.341 (63 wRC+) with four home runs and minus-0.5 fWAR. It’s possible he’ll now require season-ending surgery, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Duggar previously underwent a season-ending procedure on his left shoulder as a rookie in 2018.
Duggar’s latest issue will open the door for Rickard, who hasn’t taken a major league at-bat since the Giants claimed him from the Orioles in late June. The 28-year-old Rickard has been great in Sacramento, where he has batted .358/.406/.568 (134 wRC+) with four homers in 165 plate appearances. But Rickard wasn’t nearly that productive in the majors as a member of the Orioles, with whom he hit .245/.299/.372 (80 wRC+) with 19 HRs and 16 steals across 924 PA from 2016-19.
Giants Select Shaun Anderson’s Contract
TODAY: Anderson’s contract has been officially selected, with Beede heading down to Triple-A in the corresponding move. (Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report the news.)
YESTERDAY: The Giants are set to select the contract of righty Shaun Anderson, as Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to report on Twitter. He’s expected to start the club’s contest on Wednesday.
It isn’t clear yet what the Giants will do to clear roster space. Neither is it known whether Anderson is likely to receive more than a single start’s worth of MLB action.
Anderson, 24, was a third-round pick out of the University of Florida back in 2016. He came to San Francisco as part of the mid-2017 deal that shipped Eduardo Nunez to Boston. Thus far in 2019, Anderson carries a 4.11 ERA in 35 innings over seven starts at Triple-A, with 9.5 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9. The 6’4″, 225-pound righty is generally regarded as one of the Giants’ best pitching prospects, ranking fourth in the system both at MLB.com and on Baseball America’s preseason rankings. He’s viewed as a potential mid-rotation starter who may not have a true plus offering but possesses average or slightly better stuff across the board.
This move represents the latest change to the makeup of the Giants’ rotation mix. The club has optioned Dereck Rodriguez to Triple-A, bumped Derek Holland to the bullpen, and sent Drew Pomeranz to the injured list. Tyler Beede will absorb some of those innings, perhaps pitching behind opener Nick Vincent today. And now Anderson will get a show to show that he ought to be a part of the team’s long-term plans.