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Giants Sign Pablo Sandoval

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SATURDAY, 7:08pm: Sandoval’s contract includes 2018-19 club options for the major league minimum, but he’ll become a free agent at the end of this season if he isn’t on the Giants’ roster, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links).

1:43pm: The deal is now official, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Sandoval will head to Class A+ San Jose, then on to Triple-A Sacramento.

Here’s a statement from Sandoval about his return to the Giants in which he apologies for disparaging comments he made about the organization as he was in the process of leaving.

“I have always loved and appreciated the Giants organization, my Giants teammates and the fans of San Francisco. I have so many great memories and I want to thank the organization for giving me another chance to come back here.  When I left the Giants in 2014, my comments were emotional, insensitive and misguided and I truly regret and apologize for my actions.  I am committed to working hard to contributing to the success of the Giants.”

8:07am: Sandoval will, in fact, sign with the Giants, Heyman writes (Twitter links). The Royals and others were in fact in consideration, but Sandoval ultimately opted to head back to San Francisco.

FRIDAY: The Royals are another team with interest in Sandoval, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link), though the third baseman is still expected to land with the Giants.

WEDNESDAY, 8:38pm: Sandoval says he’s “waiting for Friday to make a decision,” with the Giants being “one of [the] options,” per ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera.

7:17pm: The Giants have agreed to a minors deal with third baseman Pablo Sandoval, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Sandoval was released earlier today by the Red Sox, though the deal will not be formally entered until his contract has passed through waivers — which (all but certainly) will occur on Friday, Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com tweets.

While the match had been rumored, and is rather unsurprising on paper, it’s still quite a notable reunion for a player who was once one of San Francisco’s most visible stars. Both Sandoval and the Giants have had seasons to forget thus far. The former was released by his most recent organization after a third-straight season marred by injury and underperformance. And the latter currently sits five games back of the Padres in the NL West cellar.

Sandoval, now thirty years of age, was a popular and productive player for seven seasons with the Giants. Over his 3,533 plate appearances, Sandoval slashed a robust .294/.346/.465 and compiled about twenty wins above replacement. That performance earned him a five-year, $95MM contract with the Red Sox, who’ll pay the vast majority of the nearly $50MM remaining (less any prorated portion of the league minimum for time Sandoval spends in the majors from now through 2019).

The Giants tried to keep the affectionately nicknamed Panda, but extension talks never materialized and he spurned the organization in free agency — suggesting in comments at the time that he was happy to be moving on. But Sandoval never found his footing in Boston. His longstanding battle with weight was again an issue, and Sandoval missed all of 2016 with a shoulder injury. He got into shape and showed well this spring, but endured a DL stint for a knee problem and struggled both at the bat (.212/.269/.354) and with the glove (-6 DRS; -8.6 UZR/150 innings) over his 32 games in 2017.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Sandoval can jump start his career in the place he once thrived. First, though, he’ll have to earn his way back to the big leagues. It’s important to bear in mind that the sides won’t be committed to one another for very long even if things go well. Unless the deal provides the club with an option of some kind — and it is fair to note that Jose Reyes agreed to such terms with the Mets while the Rockies were paying his contract — then Sandoval will return to the open market at season’s end. That said, it’s possible to imagine an extended reunion if things go well, as the Giants don’t yet have a clear plan for the 2018 season at third base.

Trade Chatter: Darvish, Alonso, Red Sox, Ramos, Stanton, Cahill, Nunez

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Yu Darvish is pitching tonight for the Rangers, so clearly there’s nothing imminent. Indeed, Texas seems likely to take its decision on the ace to the latest possible moment, even as it begins to solicit interest. As that process begins to take place, it’s important to note that Darvish possesses partial no-trade rights. While it’s not at all clear whether he’d get in the way of a deal, particularly given that he’ll be a free agent in a few months regardless, that adds another potential hurdle. Per Jim Bowden of Sirius XM, via Twitter, Darvish currently can block trades to the Cubs, Indians, Pirates, Red Sox, and Rockies (along with five other teams that are in no position to consider a rental starter).

Here’s the latest trade deadline chatter:

  • While the Athletics continue to weigh their options with first baseman Yonder Alonso, the club has not actually engaged in any extension talks with his reps, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Twitter link). While a new deal seems unlikely to come to fruition (yet more than it did already), the A’s are struggling to drum up interest in the breakout performer. Indeed, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com suggests on Twitter that the Yankees are the only team firmly pursuing Alonso at this time. Trouble is, it seems, Oakland isn’t enamored of the Yanks’ offers to date.
  • Meanwhile, the division-rival Red Sox could conceivably look into some outside-the-box possibilities to improve their offense, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe writes. He bases that assessment on the difficulty of finding a significant offensive threat capable of playing third as well as the ongoing struggles of Mitch Moreland since he suffered a toe injury. Boston might consider a first baseman, Speier says, or perhaps even an outfielder that could lineup at DH — if Hanley Ramirez is capable of spending more time at first. While it doesn’t seem there’s any indication of internal interest at this point, Speier cites Alonso, Lucas Duda, and Jay Bruce as rental players that could hold some appeal.
  • Marlins closer A.J. Ramos is drawing interest from as many as eight to ten teams, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. With momentum perhaps building toward a deal, Ramos tells MLB.com’s Jeremy Vernon that he hears the rumors, but is trying to stay focused on his current job. “It’s good, but also it’s a little bit bittersweet,” he said of the fact other teams are looking to deal for him.
  • A handful of clubs have reached out to the Marlins about high-priced slugger Giancarlo Stanton, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports, but the expectation remains that he will not be seriously marketed this summer. Still, the club is keeping Stanton “apprised of every contact” it receives, which evidently was a commitment made to the star. With full no-trade protection, he can control his destiny.
  • Interest in Padres righty Trevor Cahill is increasing as the deadline draws near, a team source tells MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell (via Twitter). While the possible introduction of Darvish to the market would knock Cahill down a peg among rental arms, it likely wouldn’t reduce the demand. After all, he’s still exceptionally cheap and has been one of the game’s most productive starters when healthy in 2017. For teams that want to take a shot at a continuation of that surprising success, Cahill should hold quite a lot of appeal.
  • Interestingly, in his recent run-down of the market for Athletics righty Sonny Gray, Ken Rosenthal of MLB Network noted that even the Padres have asked about the hotly pursued starter. That may be chalked up mostly to due diligence; though the Pads no doubt would love to install such an arm into their rotation for the next two years, it’s hard to see sufficient motivation to beat the offers of other organizations that will highly value the ability to utilize Gray for the next several months.
  • Among Giants players, infielder Eduardo Nunez is drawing the most interest, Olney tweets. That’s hardly surprising, as he’s a pending free agent who can play all over the infield. It still seems a bit difficult to imagine that the Giants won’t find a worthwhile arrangement involving Nunez, who could fit with quite a few different contenders.

AL Notes: Sanchez, Red Sox, Indians, Logan, Yankees

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Blue Jays righty Aaron Sanchez left his start today after coming down with another blister, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm reports (Twitter links). While the 25-year-old says he is holding out hope of avoiding another DL stint, that may be optimistic. Sanchez had only just returned from a lengthy absence prompted by the same injury, though it does not appear to have occurred in precisely the same place. Ongoing uncertainty with such a key player doesn’t help the already murky outlook for Toronto, which fell to eight games under .500 with a loss today. It seems reasonable at this point to anticipate at least a minor sell-off of short-term veterans, though most of the players the team would be most willing to move have struggled in 2017.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Red Sox now have Giants infielder Eduardo Nunez atop their list of possible third-base targets, a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link). Indeed, the clubs have discussed Boston’s interest in both Nunez and reliever Hunter Strickland, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. It seems the Sox are also still engaged with the Marlins on third bagger Martin Prado (as well as reliever David Phelps) along with Pirates infielders David Freese and Josh Harrison. Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind that Prado is on the DL, while the Bucs may be hesitant to deal given the team’s improved outlook. All told, it still seems to be a wide-open search.
  • It’s not clear if talks have occurred between the Indians and Giants, but Cleveland is scouting Nunez as well, per ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (via Twitter). With the defending AL champs still battling for a postseason spot, they can’t just wait idly for second baseman Jason Kipnis to return from the DL. And a player such as Nunez would also improve the team’s bench once Kipnis is back.
  • The Indians also got some bad news on the pitching front today, as lefty Boone Logan departed his appearance with an injury to his lat muscle, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. Logan owns an ugly 4.95 ERA on the year, but he’s producing 12.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 with a 49.0% groundball rate, with a .360 BABIP helping to explain the disconnect. Ryan Merritt is on hand to give the team another southpaw matchup option to go with relief ace Andrew Miller, though it’s possible to imagine the Indians weighing alternatives if Logan’s injury turns out to be serious.
  • With Todd Frazier now in pinstripes, the Yankees intend to work Chase Headley in at first base, manager Joe Girardi told reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). The switch-hitting Headley will pair with new addition Garrett Cooper for the time being, though that duo doesn’t promise to deliver the kind of offensive output that might be hoped for from the position. It remains to be seen whether the Yankees will continue to dabble in the market for first basemen.

NL West Rumors: Giants, Nunez, Padres, Mariners, Cosart

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Giants GM Bobby Evans appeared on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM with Mike Ferrin today and discussed his team’s approach at the trade deadline (audio link via Twitter). The Giants aren’t used to finding themselves as sellers, but they find themselves buried in both the NL West race and in the Wild Card. However, Evans echoed recent comments from president Brian Sabean, suggesting that the team is looking more toward 2018 than at a total rebuild.

“It’s really about the core of guys that we have, that, arguably between Belt, Panik, Crawford, Posey, Bumgarner — they’re in the prime of their careers,” said Evans of the current Giants roster. “This is a time to build with them. They’re not 34 going on 35. They’re 28 to 30. That’s a good range in which we still think there’s a lot that they can offer and help us get back to where we need to be. That said, we’ve got to do more, defensively, in the outfield — more offensively in our lineup. We’ve got to pitch better. … We can’t go with what we have. We’ve got to make changes. This trading period may offer us some opportunities to look toward next year.”

More out of the NL West…

  • After seeing trade target Todd Frazier head to the Yankees last night, the Red Sox are now eyeing Giants third baseman Eduardo Nunez, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. That’s not the first time the BoSox have been linked to Nunez, though he’s among the first players to whom they Yankees have been linked following last night’s Frazier swap between Chicago and New York. The versatile Nunez is a free agent at season’s end and is earning a reasonable $4.2MM this year. He’s not a standout defender anywhere on the diamond, but he could hold down the fort at the hot corner for now and then bounce between third, shortstop, second base and perhaps the corner outfield later in the summer if the Sox give Rafael Devers an audition. Nunez is hitting .295/.319/.407 through 289 plate appearances.
  • The Mariners have reached out to both the Giants and the Padres about their available starting pitchers, tweets MLB.com’s Jon Morosi. San Diego has three rental options to offer, highlighted by breakout righty Trevor Cahill but also including right-hander Jhoulys Chacin and southpaw Clayton Richard. (Each is signed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal.) The Giants, meanwhile, could conceivably listen on Johnny Cueto (though he’s struggled, has an opt-out clause complicating his trade candidacy, and is on the shelf with blister issues). It’s Jeff Samardzija, however, that has drawn the most headlines on the rumor circuit as of late. Though he’s just halfway through the second season of a five-year, $90MM deal and has an ERA in the upper-4.00s, Samardzija is pacing MLB in K/BB ratio and is among the game’s best in K%-BB%. Of course, it’s uncertain if the Mariners would want any part of that contract, and if the Giants are looking toward 2018, they may hope to have a healthy Samardzija contributing 200+ innings in the middle of their rotation. Speculatively speaking, Matt Moore could also be a reclamation project, though he’s worked to an ERA of 5.81 with reduced velocity and diminished peripherals this year.
  • Padres right-hander Jarred Cosart is out for the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow a couple of days ago, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (via Twitter). The 27-year-old former top prospect hasn’t been much of a factor for the Friars in 2017, tossing just 24 innings with a 4.88 ERA. But, with the possibility that multiple starters are moved in the next 12 days, his absence will present the team with fewer options to step into a starting rotation that has several long-term spots up for grabs.

Trade Buzz: Samardzija, Strickland, Hand, Tigers, Teheran, Mariners, Twins, Nats

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The Giants are “drawing [a] fair amount of interest” in right-handed starter Jeff Samardzija and right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (all Twitter links). While Samardzija’s surface-level numbers aren’t exactly appealing this season — 4.86 ERA, 20 homers in 124 innings (1.45 HR/9) — he leads the Majors in K/BB ratio and is fifth in K%-BB% (23.7 percent). Moreover, Schulman notes that other teams simply value Samardzija’s durability. The Giants, too, value Shark’s innings, however, making the situation complicated. Schulman adds that the Giants are willing to think “creatively” in terms of trades, speculating about possible three-team swaps or taking on poor contracts.

As far as Strickland goes, the 28-year-old has a pristine 1.91 ERA with 9.8 K/9 through 33 innings this season. His 5.2 BB/9 rate and 88.5 percent strand rate suggest that there’s probably some regression in order, but the Giants (or an acquiring team) can control Strickland through the 2021 season, so it stands to reason that he’d draw interest as a long-term bullpen option.

More trade buzz from around the game…

  • Padres general manager A.J. Preller has been asking for teams’ “top, top prospects” when shopping lefty Brad Hand around the league, an exec that has inquired on Hand tells ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). While it’s hard to blame the Friars for aiming high — especially with 13 days remaining until the deadline — asking for multiple top-ranked prospects in return for Hand certainly seems like a steep asking price. The 27-year-old Hand does have an impressive 2.25 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9 and a 47.7 percent ground-ball rate, though, and he’s controllable through 2019.
  • Crasnick also tweets that the Tigers are “optimistic” that they’re getting close to completing a trade or two. GM Al Avila said yesterday that he expects something “soon,” Crasnick notes. The Tigers are known to be marketing the likes of J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson and Alex Avila, though it’s worth noting that Martinez is in the lineup tonight. Avila is out of the lineup, though that’s likely due to the fact that Detroit is facing a left-handed opponent, and James McCann rakes against southpaw pitching.
  • David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the Royals had a scout in attendance to watch Julio Teheran’s start for the Braves last night. It should be noted, of course, that there were likely a number of clubs on hand and that the Royals are certain to be scouting a number of potential rotation additions. Teheran turned in six innings of two-run ball without allowing a homer, though he also issued four walks and uncorked a wild pitch.
  • The Mariners are becoming an “increasingly active” buyer as the deadline approaches, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Seattle currently sits just 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, and GM Jerry Dipoto is prioritizing starting pitching that can be controlled beyond the 2017 season. Seattle has had poor luck in its rotation this year, with Drew Smyly going down to Tommy John surgery and Hisashi Iwakuma missing a huge chunk of the season, to say nothing of injuries to Felix Hernandez and James Paxton. King Felix and Paxton are back in the fold now, but the M’s currently have rookies Andrew Moore and Sam Gaviglio in their rotation.
  • MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand hears that the Twins are shying away from rental assets and are focusing primarily on pieces they can control beyond the current season. Minnesota is preparing for the deadline with a buyer’s mindset, but it’s not clear exactly how aggressive they’ll be. ESPN’s Buster Olney recently wrote that Minnesota isn’t prepared to gut its farm system in order to make a significant splash, but if the team isn’t keen on rentals, as Feinsand suggests, then perhaps they’ll zero in on some second-tier assets that will remain under contract through 2018. Speaking purely speculatively, David Phelps, AJ Ramos and Brad Brach are among the bullpen names that could potentially be had without ransacking the farm, while a starter like Edinson Volquez could fit the same bill.
  • Despite the loss of Joe Ross for this season (and much of next), further upgrading the bullpen is a larger priority for the Nationals than pursuing a rotation piece, reports Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. Edwin Jackson is currently getting a chance to make some starts thanks in part to the struggles of righties A.J. Cole and Austin Voth in the minors. Meanwhile, well-regarded prospect Erick Fedde is being stretched back out as a starter after briefly converting to the bullpen, Janes notes.

Latest On Boston’s Third Base Search

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Already known to have Todd Frazier, Martin Prado, Jed Lowrie and Yangervis Solarte on their radar, the Red Sox are also scouting two Pirates (Josh Harrison and David Freese), a pair of Mets (T.J. Rivera and Asdrubal Cabrera) and the Giants’ Eduardo Nunez as they search for a third baseman, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.

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Of that five-man group, the versatile Harrison may be the most difficult to acquire – especially considering the Pirates will aim to contend next year even if they don’t make a serious playoff push this season. With a .273/.352/.424 line to go with 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases across 377 plate appearances, in which he has accumulated 2.1 fWAR, the 30-year-old is having a fine campaign. Harrison is also on a reasonable contract, one that pays him $7.5MM this year, $10MM in 2018 and carries club options for 2019 ($10.5MM) and ’20 ($11.5MM). While Harrison would be an immediate upgrade at third for the Red Sox, it’s questionable how he’d fit into the organization in the coming years. Boston’s much-ballyhooed third base prospect, Rafael Devers, is nearly major league ready, and the club has Harrison’s other positions – second base and the corner outfield – covered with Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi.

Freese, 34, would also be more than a rental, as he’s due a guaranteed $4.25MM next season and has either a $6MM club option or a $500K buyout for 2019. Currently on a $6.25MM salary, the long-competent hitter has paired a respectable .245/.376/.364 slash in 271 trips to the plate with decent work at third (two defensive runs saved, 1.7 UZR/150).

The two Mets also come with control beyond this season, though the Red Sox would have the ability to decline Cabrera’s $8.5MM club option for 2018 in favor of a $2MM buyout. Cabrera, who’s earning $8.25MM now, brings a solid offensive track record to the table and has been OK in that department this year (.250/.333/.408 with nine homers in 270 PAs). However, the switch-hitter has just one career appearance at third base, which came back in 2007, and hasn’t looked good at all in the middle infield in his age-31 campaign. Cabrera has combined for minus-14 DRS and a minus-15.2 UZR/150 at shortstop and second, his customary positions.

Rivera, who at 28 is younger than Cabrera and won’t even be arbitration eligible until after the 2019 season, has survived a low walk rate (3.9 percent) since debuting last year to post quality numbers at the plate. Through 311 PAs, including 202 this year, Rivera has batted .315/.348/.469 – a line that’s either 15 percent or 17 percent better than league average, depending on whether you prefer OPS+ or wRC+. As such, he joins Harrison in looking like someone who’d be rather tough to pry from his current employer.

Nunez, a pure rental, is earning $4.2MM and has hit a playable .297/.323/.414 over 280 trips to the plate during his platform year. More impressively, the 30-year-old has stolen 17 of 20 bases, meaning he’d provide another speed threat to a Boston team that already ranks eighth in the majors in steals. Nunez is also capable of playing second, short and left field, though he hasn’t garnered particularly positive reviews anywhere as a defender.

As Boston continues to mull its options before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, it’ll utilize a platoon of Brock Holt and Deven Marrero at the hot corner, tweets Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. After the Red Sox defeated the Yankees on Sunday night, they optioned third baseman Tzu-Wei Lin to Triple-A. Lin fared nicely before his demotion, hitting .280/.379/.360 over the first 59 PAs of his career, but the 23-year-old owns a meager .638 OPS in a much larger minor league sample of 1,954 PAs.

West Rumors: Athletics, Giants, Stanton, Dodgers, Padres

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After Oakland traded relievers Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to Washington on Sunday, Athletics executive VP of baseball operations Billy Beane indicated that the franchise is ready to change course, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle in a quote-filled piece that’s worth a full read. Beane, who noted that the A’s have “never really committed to a full rebuild,” suggested that the team will do just that as it eyes a new stadium. He also expressed frustration with the fact that the A’s have had trouble re-signing their talent and added that “we need to change that narrative by creating a good team and ultimately committing to keeping them around, so that when people buy a ticket, they’ll know that the team is going to be there for a few years.” Continued Beane: “This is my 20th year on the job. There are only so many cycles that I can go through before I get as exasperated as everybody else. Finding players has never been an issue for us. Keeping them and ultimately keeping the faith and commitment from people who follow the team, that’s got to be done by keeping them around. Again, I’ve been assured by ownership that that’s what we’re going to do as it parallels with the stadium.”

More on Oakland and a few other West Coast teams:

  • The A’s did get a major leaguer back in their trade with the Nationals in reliever Blake Treinen, but rebuilding means that acquiring big league-ready talent isn’t going to be a priority in upcoming deals, Beane revealed. Rather, the A’s have to “try and get the best players period,” said Beane, who preached patience. Given Treinen’s age (29), he might not be a long-term piece for the A’s, though Beane doesn’t have any interest in flipping him elsewhere right now. Two teams quickly approached the A’s about acquiring Treinen, but Beane rejected their advances.
  • Craig Mish of Sirius XM tweeted Saturday that the Giants have shown more interest than anyone else in Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, leading Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area to assess whether a deal could happen. The California-born slugger’s enormous contract (he’ll collect $295MM through 2028 if he doesn’t opt out after the 2020 season) makes it highly unlikely he’ll end up in San Francisco, even if the Marlins were to eat around $95MM, observes Pavlovic. To take on that type of money – particularly for a player who has had difficulty staying healthy – would cripple the Giants’ budget for both the near term and the long haul, Pavlovic writes.
  • At least one team would like to acquire Dodgers outfield prospect Alex Verdugo, but “it’s really hard to imagine a plausible scenario where it makes sense for us to move him,” general manager Farhan Zaidi told Bill Plunkett of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended). Zaidi offered effusive praise of Verdugo and opined that “he’s big league ready or close to being big league ready.” Verdugo, who has slashed .344/.414/.464 across 350 plate appearances in his first taste of Triple-A action, ranks as BA’s 35th-best prospect.
  • “Almost all” of the Padres’ relievers have drawn trade interest, GM A.J. Preller informed AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “The relievers have all pitched well, and scouts take note of that,” stated Preller. “Teams have definite interest. And it’s not just a back-end guy or setup guys. We have some depth, and teams have hit us on that depth.” The Padres’ highest-profile reliever is southpaw Brad Hand, whom “there’s definitely a lot of interest” in, Preller acknowledged. At the same time, “there’s a lot of interest in keeping him here as well.” Brandon Maurer, Ryan Buchter, Kirby Yates, Craig Stammen and Jose Torres are other San Diego bullpen pieces who are reportedly on teams’ radars.

Rays Interested In Hunter Strickland

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The Rays are showing interest in Giants reliever Hunter Strickland, having sent a scout to San Diego to watch the right-hander pitch this weekend, reports Chris Haft of MLB.com.

At 49-43, a half-game up on the Yankees for the American League’s top wild-card spot and two games above the sixth-place Twins, the Rays are setting up as deadline buyers. Acquiring bullpen help by July 31 seems to be a priority for Tampa Bay, whose relievers rank 19th in the majors in fWAR (1.5) and 20th in ERA (4.37). With Alex Colome, Brad Boxberger, Chase Whitley, Tommy Hunter and Erasmo Ramirez, the majority of the Rays’ bullpen is in good shape, though they’ve struggled to find reliable options to fill out the group. Jumbo Diaz, Danny Farquhar and Austin Pruitt have combined for 93 1/3 innings among them, but no one from that trio has prevented runs at a particularly appealing clip this year.

The 28-year-old Strickland has limited damage throughout his career, evidenced by a 2.48 ERA over 152 1/3 innings, and has pitched to a sparkling 1.91 ERA across 33 frames this season. Additionally, Strickland’s 9.82 K/9 and 19.4 percent infield fly rate make him look like a shutdown option. However, there are some troubling signs – including a dip in velocity and a skyrocketing BB/9 that has climbed to 5.18 after sitting at 1.75 in 2015, Strickland’s first full season, and 2.8 last year.

While Strickland does come with concerns, his track record and team control suggest he’d warrant a solid haul in a trade. Strickland is making a near-minimum salary this season and brings four years of arbitration eligibility to the table. It’s unclear, then, how open the Giants are to moving him, especially considering they’re aiming to put a rough 2017 behind them next year and return to contention. If the Giants do make any deals in the coming weeks, they’d like to acquire major league-ready talent in return, notes Haft.

Astros Have Interest In Jeff Samardzija

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Having finished as one of the runners-up in the Jose Quintana sweepstakes, the Astros are still looking to improve their rotation. That upgrade could come in the form of Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija, on whom the Astros are “doing background work,” tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Samardzija, 32, would represent a potential multiyear piece for Houston, as he’s under control through 2020 on the five-year, $90MM contract he signed prior to the 2016 campaign. He’s still owed upward of $60MM, which would make him an especially costly acquisition for a Houston club whose biggest contract is the four-year, $52MM pact right fielder Josh Reddick signed before the season.

In the near term, Samardzija, who’s on pace for his fifth straight 200-inning season, would provide a mid-rotation workhorse to an Astros team that could use one. While the Astros easily own the American League’s best record (61-29) and have run away with the AL West, which they lead by 16.5 games, their rotation hasn’t been the picture of health this season. Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers have pitched like aces this year, but the former has hit the disabled list twice with neck issues and the latter has been on the DL once and, over the past month-plus, has struggled to go deep in games. Charlie Morton has also missed extensive time this year, and injuries have troubled him throughout his career, while Collin McHugh hasn’t pitched at all and Joe Musgrove hasn’t been sharp after a strong major league debut last season. Fortunately for the Astros, Keuchel and McHugh are nearing returns, while Brad Peacock and Mike Fiers have stepped up since Keuchel’s DL placement in early June.

Despite the myriad issues in their rotation, including David Paulino’s season-ending performance-enhancing drug suspension, Astros starters entered Saturday atop the AL in ERA (3.86) and third in fWAR (8.2). Samardzija has accounted for 2.3 fWAR, making him one of the majors’ most valuable starters in that metric’s estimation, but the hard thrower hasn’t prevented runs at a pristine rate. Through 118 innings this year, he carries a 4.58 ERA, largely thanks to a career-worst home run-to-fly ball rate (16.7 percent), an elevated batting average on balls in play (.323) and a low strand rate (67.1 percent). Going from pitcher-friendly AT&T Park in San Francisco to Houston’s Minute Maid Park likely wouldn’t do his already high homer rate any favors, though his sparkling K/BB ratio (9.07) – which is No. 1 among major league starters – could help lead to somewhat of a turnaround in the ERA department.

While the Astros may push to acquire Samardzija, it’s unclear whether the Giants would trade him or whether Houston is one of the eight teams he’d block a move to. Giants executive vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean revealed earlier this week that the out-of-contention club is “open for business” as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline nears, but he also plans to vie for a playoff berth in 2018. As such, the Giants could prefer to keep Samardzija in their quest to return to relevance next year.

Giants Place Johnny Cueto On DL, Activate Madison Bumgarner

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4:52pm: The Giants have placed Cueto on the 10-day DL, Shea tweets. It’s still possible Cueto could make it back before the non-waiver deadline, of course, but his presence on the DL with further complicate any attempt on the Giants’ part to trade him, particularly if he stays there long. His DL placement will make room for the activation of ace Madison Bumgarner, who hasn’t pitched since April 19 after injuring his shoulder in a dirt bike accident. Bumgarner will make his long-awaited return to San Francisco’s rotation Saturday.

9:34am: Giants righty Johnny Cueto is dealing with blister issues and could miss his next start, as various reporters, including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, have noted. Cueto pitched just four innings in his start against the Padres last night, throwing 82 pitches, then had tape on his index finger, middle finger and thumb after the game.

“It feels like they’re cut,” Cueto said, suggesting that a tighter texture of the baseballs this year as compared to last might be to blame for the problem. Various pitchers have commented on the textures of the baseballs this season.

“I think the best thing for me to do is take some time off,” says Cueto. “I can’t tell you whether or not I’m going to skip (my next start). It depends on how I feel. Right now, it feels bad.”

Missing a start this close to the non-waiver trade deadline could, of course, affect Cueto’s trade market, which was already complicated due to a variety of factors. (There have been few recent indications that the Giants are looking to trade Cueto despite their 35-56 record this year, although it stands to reason they would at least be open to making a deal under the right circumstances.) Cueto hasn’t been outstanding this season, with a 4.59 ERA, 8.0 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 over 115 2/3 innings. And while his current deal calls for him to be paid $21MM per year through 2021, plus a $5MM buyout on a $22MM option for 2022, he can opt out of the deal after this season and collect the $5MM buyout while becoming a free agent. He’ll also receive a $500K assignment bonus if he’s traded. Those factors make Cueto’s value “lower than a rental’s,” as one GM told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal even before the blister issues emerged.

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