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Giants Designate Joe Panik For Assignment

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The Giants announced Tuesday that they’ve designated second baseman Joe Panik for assignment and optioned lefty Sam Selman to Triple-A Sacramento. Southpaws Conner Menez and Williams Jerez were recalled from Sacramento in their place.

Panik’s future with the Giants looked to be in question when the club not only acquired well-regarded second base prospect Mauricio Dubon from the Brewers but also veteran second bagger Scooter Gennett from the Reds. Panik, a former first-round pick, has been the Giants’ regular second baseman since debuting in 2014 but has seen his production crater over the past two seasons. In 780 plate appearances dating back to 2018, he’s managed only a .245/.308/.325 batting line.

Injuries have hampered Panik’s career in recent seasons, as he’s missed time due to thumb, groin and back injuries in addition to (most notably) multiple concussions. Panik made the 2015 All-Star team when he hit .312/.378/.455, but he’s never come close to replicating those offensive heights. He’d have been a non-tender candidate this winter by virtue of the fact that he’d be in line for a raise on this season’s $3.8MM salary.

Normally, the Giants would have a week to trade Panik or put him on outright or release waivers. However, with the elimination of August trades, San Francisco’s only recourse will be to waive Panik — likely in the hopes that another club will save them some money by claiming the remainder of his salary. Panik is owed about $1.12MM through season’s end, and any team to claim him would be responsible for the entirety of that sum. If he goes unclaimed, Panik can become a free agent without forfeiting any of that salary. At that point, any team to sign him would only owe him the prorated league minimum through the end of the year — about $164K.

There’s an obvious connection between the Mets, who have lost Robinson Cano to the injured list, and the New York-born Panik. Whether the Mets deem him an upgrade over internal options, based on his past two seasons of play, remains to be seen though. New York could simply slide Jeff McNeil from the outfield back to second base and pursue an additional outfielder, which figure to be in greater supply in the coming weeks.

Johnny Cueto Makes First Rehab Appearance

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As anticipated, veteran Giants hurler Johnny Cueto officially embarked upon a rehab assignment over the weekend. Journalist Alex Simon had the details (Twitter link; hat tip to Andrew Baggarly.)

Cueto’s return to a competitive pitching environment came almost exactly one year to the day of his 2018 Tommy John surgery. The 33-year-old has obviously made significant progress in his recovery and is now firmly on track to return to the MLB mound late this season.

The results were rather impressive for an initial showing, even if it came against rookie ball competition. Of his 21 pitches, Cueto threw 19 for strikes — seven of them of the swinging variety — while racking up five strikeouts in a pair of hitless innings. He was already sitting in the same range with his fastball that he did last year (90.5 mph). While that was a low point for the veteran, it seems promising that his arm speed is already at least to that level.

Unconvinced? Want to see it with your own eyes? Well, Cueto has you covered. He thoughtfully posted every pitch of his outing to his Instagram account.

Cueto is obviously excited about the prospect of a return, as Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. The plan is for him to make another rookie ball outing before moving to the High-A level for several additional outings. Cueto will ultimately need at least two full tune-ups at the highest level of the minors before he makes it back to the MLB mound.

The Giants altered their trade deadline approach after a winning streak brought them back into the Wild Card picture, so Cueto could provide a nice boost this year. Regardless of how the standings look when he’s ready to return, Cueto will be looking to reesteablish his form before shutting things down for the offseason. The Giants owe him $21MM annually through 2021, along with a $5MM buyout on a 2022 club option.

Giants Claim Ryan Dull

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Athletics right-hander Ryan Dull was claimed off outright waivers by the Giants on Monday, the teams announced. Dull has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento for the time being. San Francisco’s 40-man roster is now full.

Dull, 29, was designated for assignment over the weekend when the A’s claimed Dustin Garneau from the Angels. He’s been up and down with Oakland over the past five seasons, pitching to a collective 4.08 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 in 167 2/3 innings of work. Dull’s best year came with the 2016 A’s, when he logged 74 1/3 frames of 2.42 ERA ball, but he’s been hampered by knee and shoulder injuries since that time. In a total of 76 1/3 big league innings dating back to 2017, Dull owns a lackluster 5.66 ERA with a 74-to-27 K/BB ratio.

Following the trades of Mark Melancon, Sam Dyson, Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black, the Giants’ bullpen depth had been fairly depleted. Dull will give them an immediate 40-man option, should a need arise, and he’ll join fellow newcomer Carlos Torres (who signed a minor league deal earlier today) as some replenished depth in the minor league ranks.

Giants, Carlos Torres Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Giants have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Carlos Torres, MLBTR has learned (Twitter link). He’ll head to Triple-A Sacramento for the time being and will also have an opt-out date toward the end of the month.

Torres, 36, allowed five runs in six innings with the Tigers earlier this season but has had a solid season in Triple-A across three different organizations. He spent the month of July in the Twins organization and was selected to the MLB roster late last month, but he was designated for assignment before appearing in a game. Torres rejected an outright assignment with Minnesota and headed back to the open market.

In 48 1/3 frames in Triple-A this year, he’s pitched to a combined 2.79 ERA with 7.8 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 between the Tigers, Twins and Padres organizations. Beyond that, Torres has a rather lengthy track record of solid work at the MLB level. While he only tossed 9 2/3 innings with the Nationals last season, Torres turned in a combined 3.52 ERA in just under 400 innings between the Mets and Brewers from 2013-17. His career strikeout and walk rates in the Majors are similar to the ones he’s posted in Triple-A this season, and Torres has typically generated grounders at an average or better rate (excluding the first two seasons of his career back in 2009-10).

The Giants plan to stretch Torres out a bit in Sacramento, perhaps with an eye toward giving them a multi-inning option at some point over the season’s final few weeks. Following the trades of Sam Dyson, Mark Melancon, Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black prior to last week’s deadline, there’s a bit of room on the San Francisco pitching staff should Torres acquit himself well in his fourth organization of the season.

Post-Deadline Outrights: Flynn, De La Cruz, Guerra, Blazek

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In the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline, a handful of clubs cleared 40-man roster space with a series of designations. Many of those players have since cleared waivers, and we’ll round up those minor moves here…

Latest Moves

  • The Royals announced that southpaw Brian Flynn was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers.  Flynn has a 5.22 ERA over 29 1/3 innings for K.C. this season, a disappointing result for a reliever who posted solid numbers out of the Royals’ bullpen in both 2016 and 2018.

Earlier Today

  • Cubs minor-league right-hander Oscar de la Cruz has cleared waivers. The 24 year-old has seen his once-lofty prospect status deteriorate due to a combination of injuries, command woes, and a suspension for a masking agent. He’ll remain with the club’s AA affiliate in the Southern League.
  • Nationals right-handers Javy Guerra and Michael Blazek each cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Fresno. Because each veteran has previously been outrighted, they may elect free agency, but the shaky Washington bullpen could plausibly offer them the best opportunity to return to the big leagues in short order.
  • Giants right-handed reliever Dan Winkler was outrighted. San Francisco acquired him as a salary offset in the Mark Melancon trade but never had any interest in letting him see the field amidst a disappointing 2019 season. Winkler can elect free agency because he has over three years of MLB service.
  • Rockies left-handed relief arm Harrison Musgrave will remain on hand at Triple-A Albuquerque after clearing. The 27 year-old has had little success in 45 MLB games in Colorado over the past two seasons.
  • Diamondbacks right-hander Joey Krehbiel will remain on-hand at Triple-A Reno. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel named the 26 year-old reliever a prospect to watch thanks to a plus changeup preseason, but he’s had a nightmarish season in the Pacific Coast League.
  • Veteran catcher Tim Federowicz has cleared. The backstop had been playing for the Rangers, but he may elect to catch on elsewhere on a minor-league deal.
  • Phillies corner infielder Mitch Walding has also cleared waivers. He’ll remain in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he’s struggled to make contact in 2019.
  • Eric Stamets, the Indians’ Opening Day shortstop, has cleared as well. The 27 year-old has put up anemic offensive numbers with Triple-A Columbus, where he’ll continue to try to right the ship, over the past two seasons.

Giants Activate Evan Longoria, Option Zach Green

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The Giants have activated third baseman Evan Longoria from the 10-day injured list, tweets Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group. In a corresponding move, Zach Green has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.

Longoria had been on the injured list since July 15 after dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The injury came at an inopportune time for the 33-year-old, who had been enjoying perhaps his best month as a Giant before he was forced out of action. Prior to his deactivation, Longoria had muscled six home runs in just 34 plate appearances for the month of July. He managed an otherworldly 1.537 OPS in that span, but it bears mentioning that those results are the exception—not the rule—to Longoria’s history in San Francisco.

It’s notable that the team Longoria will join on Sunday is markedly different than the way he left it. While the Giants had found themselves in the midst of a hot streak when Longoria last suited up on July 15, the club was still below .500 and seemed poised to sell off Major-League pieces at the trade deadline. However, the Giants have since catapulted themselves into the hunt for playoff positioning, and a Wild Card berth, while perhaps not likely, does not seem out of the question. Longoria, a former Ray, is of course no stranger to September Wild Card races, so one hopes that the IL stint won’t halt his stretch of success that began in July.

Interestingly, Pablo Sandoval managed to force his way back into the hearts of the San Francisco faithful while Longoria was on the shelf, so the team will have to find at-bats for both players down the stretch. Bruce Bochy managed to handle the pair’s workload nicely when both were available earlier in the season, so there shouldn’t be any problems here.

Zach Green got his first taste of the Major-League game and will now have a chance to iron out some issues with more regular at-bats in Triple-A. He only made 16 plate appearances in a brief 8-game big-league stint, but a strong Triple-A track record suggests this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the 25-year-old Green. In his first crack at the game’s highest level, he batted .143/.250/.214

Orioles Claim Ty Blach, Designate Jose Rondon

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The Orioles have claimed left-hander Ty Blach, MLBTR’s Steve Adams reports. Blach was designated for assignment by San Francisco a week ago. INF Jose Rondon was designated for assignment to make room.

Blach, 28, was a reasonably productive swingman for the 2016-18 versions of the club, with numbers slightly inflated (per fWAR and other metrics that rely heavily on park factors) by the enormous dimensions of SF’s Oracle Park. The lefty, who’s posted the league’s lowest strikeout total since his debut in late 2016, threw up a solid 3.84 FIP in 47 appearances (13 starts) for the Giants last season, a performance that ostensibly wasn’t enough to curry favor with the new regime. He’s spent much of the this season trying to survive in the PCL, where his 5.93 ERA/5.26 FIP are actually respectable totals in the harrowing offensive climate that dots the league’s landscape.

It’s possible the soft-tosser steps right into an embattled Baltimore rotation, which treats cast-offs, fringe prospects, and former stalwarts all the same. Blach’s career 50% grounder rate should play well in the miniaturized dimensions of Camden Yards, though he won’t be afforded the same heavy-air cushion he was at Oracle. Still, it’s as good of opportunity as could be hoped for 28-year-old, who’d likely have returned to Triple-A in most organizations around the league.

Rondon, 25, was a promising utility prospect in the Padres system from 2014-17, but hit the skids in the high minors and couldn’t steady himself after transitioning to the AL with the White Sox. Rondon did post a solid 102 wRC+ in limited action for the Pale Hose last season, but his .197/.265/.282 ’19 line wasn’t enough to keep him in the organization. He appeared in just a single game for the Orioles; the club’ll obviously hope he clears waivers and can be outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk.

Giants Designate Tyler Austin

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The Giants have designated outfielder/first baseman Tyler Austin for assignment, the team announced and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to cover on Twitter. That move opens 40-man and active roster space for newly acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett.

In other roster moves that don’t implicate control rights, the Giants have added outfielder Steven Duggar to the active roster. Righty Dereck Rodriguez was optioned down to make way.

Austin, 27, hasn’t been able to take advantage of his opportunity in San Francisco, making him the latest position player to be sent packing from the MLB roster after receiving a shot. Through 147 plate appearances on the year, Austin carries a .185/.279/.400 batting line with eight home runs and 57 strikeouts.

Details On The Twins’ Trade Deadline Talks

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Sam Dyson and Sergio Romo represented the sum total of the Twins’ midseason additions as the club tries to hold its lead atop the AL Central.  While Dyson and Romo address needs in the bullpen, Minnesota was also very aggressive in looking for starting pitching, though ultimately came up short in reinforcing the rotation.

Rival teams continually asked the Twins about top prospects Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, with the Mets among the multiple clubs who asking for both youngsters.  New York wanted both Lewis and Kiriloff in discussions about Noah Syndergaard, and if premium minor league talent wasn’t available for the ace, the Mets were also focused on adding Major League players, to the point of asking Minnesota about Byron Buxton in a possible Syndergaard deal.

Lewis and Kirilloff were also on the mind of the Blue Jays’ front office, as Toronto was looking for either of the prospects in exchange for Marcus Stroman.  Minnesota turned down this initial request, and The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that the Jays never called back with any other offers before trading Stroman to the Mets.  This would seem to indicate that the Jays were only interested in Lewis and Kirilloff specifically, though Hayes writes that “the Twins were disappointed when Toronto didn’t give them a chance to match an offer they believed they could have outdone.”

Beyond the prospects, Hayes tweeted that Luis Arraez was “everyone’s favorite ask” amongst teams who were offering rental players to Minnesota.  Arraez has been a revelation for the Twins over his first 43 Major League games, as the rookie is hitting .349/.422/.445 over 166 plate appearances.  Arraez has long boasted strong averages and on-base numbers in the minors, and while regression is inevitable, his .361 xwOBA isn’t far off his .388 wOBA.  With this much potential, it isn’t hard to see why the Twins were reluctant to part with a 22-year-old, multi-positional talent for only a rental player (or potentially anyone).

Hayes reports that the Twins were considering both Robbie Ray and Mike Minor, though concerns about Ray’s durability and Minor’s July struggles diminished the interest.  On the relief front, the Twins also had interest in Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez.

“It was one of the most unique trade deadlines I’ve ever experienced,” Twins GM Thad Levine told Hayes and other reporters.  “One error I made was assuming that early in the trade cycle that the leverage was towards the seller.  I assumed that there was going to be a little bit of a shift of that see-saw back to the buyer as we got closer to the deadline. I’m not sure we ever saw the shift in the see-saw. The sellers felt pretty emboldened. They set the prices high, which is very normal in a trade deadline. But I’m not sure they moved off of those high asks at any point, and as a result, there were just a finite number of players that meaningfully changed the fortunes of playoff-contending teams.”

Early talks with the Giants involving multiple players (including Dyson, Madison Bumgarner, and Will Smith) did result in the late Dyson trade.  Minnesota and San Francisco re-engaged in talks just 45 minutes before the 3pm CT deadline, medicals on the four players in the deal were exchanged at 2:50pm, and the trade was finalized with just five minutes to spare.

Giants Designate Dan Winkler For Assignment

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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.

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