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Orioles, Giants Swap Mike Yastrzemski, Tyler Herb

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Per team releases, the Orioles and Giants have swung a minor deal, with righty Tyler Herb headed to Baltimore and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski going to San Francisco.

Yastrzemski, 28, is the grandson of Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrzemski. He’s made a six-year lap through the Oriole farm, with early highs eventually offset by upper-minors woes. His 2018 season was arguably his best, at least at the AAA level, with the lefty slashing a solid .265/.359/.441 in 374 plate appearances for Norfolk. He’ll provide depth at all three outfield spots for a Giants club starving for warm bodies at each of them.

Herb, 27 next month, began his professional career with Seattle before being sent south as the player to be named later in the Chris Heston deal. 2018 was a struggle for Herb: 13 starts made up his first AAA taste, and it quickly went sour, with the righty posting a 5.35 ERA/5.05 FIP in 70 2/3 innings for Sacramento. Herb has always had issue missing bats, though his repertoire could safely be counted on to induce a high number of grounders. It didn’t last season, though, as the righty posted a career-low 38.1% grounder rate.

Braves Acquire Matt Joyce

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Per Kerry Crowley of the San Jose Mercury News, the Braves have acquired outfielder Matt Joyce from the Giants for cash considerations. It’ll be the third team this week for the 34-year-old Joyce, who was released Tuesday by Cleveland after the team informed him he wouldn’t crack the Opening Day roster.

Joyce enjoyed a late-career renaissance in 2016 with Pittsburgh, slashing .242/.403/.463 (136 wRC+), and again the following season in Oakland, where his 2.7 fWAR was a career best. He fell back to earth last season, though, posting an 89 wRC+ and just 0.2 fWAR in a 246 plate appearances, the vast majority of which came against right-handed pitching.

The lefty-swinging Joyce has long exhibited one of the game’s most pronounced left/right splits, slashing a career .250/.351/.451 (121 wRC+) against righties, versus just .184/.267/.306 (61 wRC+) against same-side arms. Despite the down year in ’18, Joyce’s 35% hard-hit rate was one of the highest of his career, and he maintained his always-robust walk rates, checking in at 14.2% to end the season.

He’ll serve as an ideal corner-outfield depth piece for Atlanta, and perhaps even an upgrade over incumbent Nick Markakis in right field (Steamer projects the two at an identical 102 wRC+). Despite trading for the plummeting Adam Duvall late last season, Atlanta was decidedly light on experienced corner options, so the Joyce signing seems a savvy one indeed.

Giants Release Rene Rivera

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The Giants have released catcher Rene Rivera from his minor league contract, as reported by several members of the Giants beat (including NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic).

Rivera and Stephen Vogt were the two veterans brought into the Giants’ camp on minor league deals to compete with Aramis Garcia for the backup role behind Buster Posey.  Since Posey is recovering from hip surgery that cut his 2018 campaign short, the general consensus was that San Francisco might look for a catcher that could handle more playing time should Posey need more rest days.  Instead, with Posey making good progress this spring, it seems like the Giants are comfortable using the rookie Garcia as the primary backup, as Vogt has already been assigned to Triple-A to begin the season.  (Cameron Rupp was also in the Giants’ camp earlier this spring, though he has since been traded to the Tigers.)

This left Rivera as the odd man out.  Unless he re-signs with the Giants on a fresh minor league deal, Rivera will now look elsewhere as he looks to embark on his 11th Major League season.  Long known for his excellent framing and prowess at throwing out baserunners, Rivera has also posted decent numbers at the plate over the last two seasons — a .247/.297/.428 slash line and 14 homers over 328 PA with the Mets, Cubs, Braves, and Angels.  Given his defensive reputation, Rivera seems like a good candidate to catch on with another team as clubs figure out their catching situations at the end of Spring Training.

Giants Notes: Pillar, Guyer, Choo, Harper

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The latest on the Giants’ search for outfield help…

  • Cameron Maybin’s release has left the Giants in need of a right-handed hitting center fielder who can complement Steven Duggar.  To this end, the club has “looked into Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar and Brandon Guyer,” Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.  Guyer was just released by the White Sox and has a long track record of success against lefty pitching, though he would be another imperfect fit as a center field option — Guyer has only 356 career innings as a center fielder, with a -1.4 UZR.150 and -4 Defensive Runs Saved in that relatively small sample size.  Pillar is the much more accomplished defender, though not much of a hitter and also much more expensive than Guyer would be, as Pillar is set to earn $5.8MM this season.  There’s also the question of what the Giants would have to give up to Toronto in a trade, though Schulman notes “it’s unclear whether the Blue Jays would entertain a deal.”  San Francisco’s interest in Pillar dates back to earlier this offseason, though obviously no trade came together.
  • The Giants and Rangers discussed a trade that would have sent Shin-Soo Choo to the Bay Area, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports (subscription required), though “the talks failed to gain momentum and at this point are barely active.”  Choo would’ve been something of a curious add for the Giants, given that he has moved into more of a DH role in recent seasons.  Choo’s bat is still potent (.264/.377/.434 with 21 homers in 665 PA last season), and while his glovework was below-average (-5 DFS, -3.9 UZR/150 in 507 1/3 innings as a corner outfielder) in 2018, the Giants might have felt the tradeoff was worth it, even if Choo’s defense would have likely further fallen off in Oracle Park’s larger outfield.  The Giants could also have possibly seen the trade as something of a bargain, since Rosenthal notes that the Rangers “would have included significant cash” to cover the $42MM remaining on Choo’s contract through 2020.  The talks didn’t revolve around the idea of dealing Choo for one of the hefty contracts (i.e. Jeff Samardzjia, Mark Melancon) on the Giants’ payroll.
  • Also from Rosenthal’s piece, he provided a sneak peek at an interview conducted with Bryce Harper that will air in full after Fox Sports 1’s broadcast of the Braves/Phillies game on March 30.  Within the interview, Harper discussed his lengthy free agent process, including the tidbit that his final decision came down to the Phillies and the Giants.  In weighing his options with his wife Kayla, Harper said the couple ultimately decided that Philadelphia was the best fit.  “It was nothing against San Francisco. They’re a great organization. It’s a great city,” Harper said.  “It just came down to what I felt. And by that point, it was Philly.”  Harper also said that the difference between spacious Oracle Park and the more hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park “was never really a factor” in his choice of teams.

Giants To Select Contracts Of Nick Vincent, Yangervis Solarte, Gerardo Parra

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The Giants have decided to carry a trio of veteran players who were in camp on minor-league deals, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic was among those to report on Twitter. Reliever Nick Vincent, infielder Yangervis Solarte, and outfielder Gerardo Parra are all headed onto the 40-man roster.

All three have had success at the MLB level, but were left to battle for jobs this spring. Vincent has thrown over three hundred frames of 3.17 ERA ball as a big-league reliever, with strong K/BB numbers throughout his career. As I examined upon his signing, Vincent is an interesting candidate to continue putting out solid numbers.

Solarte and Parra, each of whom is 31 years old, will take up important part-time positions in the lineup. At his best, Solarte provides infield versatility and an above-average bat. Consecutive down seasons have reduced his outlook, but he could still factor as a solid contributor. As for Parra, he just wrapped up a hefty three-year deal with the Rockies, over which he managed only a 81 OPS+ (.283/.320/.407). But he’s a well-regarded all-around player who posted a .270/.317/.541 slash in 41 plate appearances this spring.

Giants Release Cameron Maybin

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The Giants announced that they have released veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin, as Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to tweet. It is not clear at this time if Maybin opted out of his contract.

While it had seemed at one point that Maybin would likely crack Giants roster out of camp, the club obviously decided to go with another direction. It’s possible that an outside addition will end up filling the need for a reserve outfielder that can step in at times in center for youngster Steven Duggar.

A regrettable mid-spring DUI arrest surely did not help Maybin’s cause. He also failed to do much with his opportunities in the lineup, posting a meager .483 OPS in 48 Cactus League plate appearances.

Over the past two seasons in the majors, Maybin has carried a .237/.322/.351 batting line with 14 home runs and 43 steals in 834 total plate appearances. The 31-year-old has never been a consistent offensive threat, but is still viewed as a quality defender.

Giants Return Rule 5 Pick Drew Ferguson To Astros

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The Giants have returned Rule 5 pick Drew Ferguson to the Astros after the outfielder cleared waivers, Maria Guardado of MLB.com tweets. Ferguson was designated for assignment yesterday when the Giants acquired another pick in this past year’s Rule 5 Draft, Connor Joe, from the Reds.

Ferguson, 26, struggled in big league camp with San Francisco this spring, hitting just .111/.294/.111 over the life of 34 plate appearances. He enjoyed a strong, albeit somewhat shortened season in Triple-A this past year prior to being taken in the Rule 5, hitting .305/.436/.429 with 46 walks against just 61 strikeouts in 292 plate appearances. He’ll return to the Astros now and won’t be required to be placed on the 40-man roster.

Giants Acquire Connor Joe, Designate Drew Ferguson

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The Giants have acquired utilityman Connor Joe from the Reds, per a club announcement. Righty Jordan Johnson and cash considerations are headed to Cincinnati in return. To open a 40-man roster spot, the Giants designated outfielder Drew Ferguson for assignment.

Both Joe and Ferguson were selected in last December’s Rule 5 draft. The former went to the Reds from the Dodgers, while the latter came from the Astros organization. Ferguson would be offered back to Houston if he clears waivers, but every other team in baseball will have a chance to step into his Rule 5 rights.

With a deal coming together at this late stage of camp, it seems likely that Joe has the inside track on a job in San Francisco — perhaps bumping out veteran Pablo Sandoval. New president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is amply familiar with the former Dodger farmhand, having just come over from the L.A. organization. If Joe can make and stay on the MLB roster all year, his rights would move permanently.

Joe, 26, is a former first-round pick who had largely struggled until a breakout 2018 season. In 435 plate appearances in the upper minors, he turned in a robust .299/.408/.527 slash with a career-high 17 home runs and sixty walks to go with 88 strikeouts.

Ferguson is also 26 years of age. The former 19th-rounder put himself on the map with some strong offensive showings, including a .305/.436/.429 run in 292 Triple-A plate appearances last year. But he has struggled since in short stints in the Arizona Fall League, Puerto Rican Winter League, and Cactus League.

On the Cincinnati end of this swap, Johnson will give the organization another upper-minors arm to work with. He earned a call-up to the highest level of the minors after 15 solid starts at Double-A last year, but struggled thereafter. In 58 frames over 11 outings at Triple-A, Johnson managed only a 4.66 ERA with 37 strikeouts against 33 walks.

Giants Sign Matt Joyce

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The Giants announced Wednesday that they’ve signed Matt Joyce to a minor league contract. He’ll be in camp for what’s left of Major League Spring Training. Joyce is represented by ACES.

The Giants will be the second stop for Joyce this spring, as he spent the bulk of camp with the Indians before being granted his release after being informed that he wouldn’t crack the big league roster. He’ll now head to an organization with a similarly undefined outfield mix in hopes of a clearer path to the Majors.

Joyce, 34, had a rough 2018 season with the A’s (.208/.322/.353 in 246 PAs) and didn’t hit much in his limited time with the Indians this spring (5-for-27 with three walks and seven strikeouts). However, he’s only one season removed from batting .243/.335/.473 with the Athletics in 2017 and is a career .250/.351/.451 hitter in 3373 plate appearances against right-handed pitching.

San Francisco’s outfield seems likely to consist of sophomore center fielder Steven Duggar, out-of-options slugger Mac Williamson and veteran Gerardo Parra, who like Joyce is in camp on a minor league contract. Rule 5 pick Drew Ferguson is also an outfielder and could be in mix if he breaks camp, though he’s just 3-for-27 on the spring. Cameron Maybin is also in camp on as a non-roster player, but his DUI arrest earlier this month surely didn’t help his chances of landing a roster spot.

Even if Joyce doesn’t crack the 25-man roster out of camp, he could potentially head to Triple-A and serve as an early-season depth option given the Giants’ lack of established outfielders at present.

NL Notes: Nats, Brewers, Mets, Giants

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With center fielder Michael A. Taylor on the shelf for a while, the Nationals “appear to be at least considering outside alternatives” capable of playing the position, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Free agency’s not exactly rife with options at this juncture, though, with 30-somethings Denard Span (an ex-Nat), Austin Jackson and Chris Young as the only experienced center fielders on the market. But Span hasn’t played center since 2017, when was among the majors’ worst outfielders; Jackson was similarly poor there last season; and Young hasn’t seen a lot of action at the position in recent years. So, if the Nationals want a legit center fielder to help make up for Taylor’s absence, they may have to turn to the trade market or hope a capable player hits the waiver wire in the coming weeks.

  • Even though he received a major league contract over the winter, Brewers infielder/outfielder Cory Spangenberg may open the season in the minors, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes. The Brewers are likely to opt for a four-man bench which would include Hernan Perez, Manny Pina, Eric Thames and Ben Gamel, leaving Spangenberg – who has a minor league option remaining – on the outside. Not long ago, the former Padre looked like a strong candidate to rack up playing time at second base this year in Milwaukee. Unfortunately for Spangenerg, the Brewers’ late-February re-signing of Mike Moustakas – who’s shifting from third to the keystone – put the kibosh on that.
  • Right-hander Seth Lugo will work out of the bullpen again this season after emerging as one of the Mets’ best relievers in 2018, though the 29-year-old wants to return to a starting role at some point, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes. “I’m not content where I’m at, but I’m happy where I’m at, if that makes sense,” Lugo said. “Especially with the team we have now, I just want to be a part of it.” Lugo totaled 18 starts in 19 appearances back in 2017, but he functioned almost exclusively as a reliever last season, and that should be the case again this year.
  • The Giants have named Rob Dean as their designated interim control person to Major League Baseball, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic tweets. Dean’s filling in for CEO Larry Baer, who’s on leave as MLB investigates a public altercation he had with his wife on March 1. Baer and the Giants haven’t been in contact during his absence, per Baggarly, who adds the club’s awaiting the league’s investigation before it takes any potential action with him.
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