As hinted at last night, but probably unseen by most of you because the Cubs traded for Austin Jackson immediately thereafter, the Giants were in the market for one more bat before the waiver trade deadline.
I said:
After Hunter Pence went down with an oblique injury earlier this month, the San Francisco Giants acted quickly to add Marlon Byrd in a deal from the Reds. Some folks derided that deal, made 10 days ago, but when you’re upgrading over replacement level – which is where the Giants were going to be in that corner outfield spot without Pence – anything is better than nothing.
And Byrd’s actually been a lot better than just “anything,” hitting .278/.333/.667 in nine games since the trade. He’s been worth twice as much WAR (0.4) in those nine games than he was worth all season with the Reds. Figures.
That is all to say, don’t immediately poo-poo the latest rumor as meaningless.
That latest rumor was the Giants pursuing Alejandro De Aza from the Red Sox, and they pulled it off before the midnight deadline. They get the lefty-hitting outfielder for 23-year-old pitching prospect Luis Ysla, who actually sounds like an interesting prospect.
De Aza has hit .261/.319/.436 with the Orioles and Red Sox this year, which is slightly above average. Moreover, he’s got a 116 wRC+ against righties this year, so using him in a platoon role could make for a nice offensive addition to a team that lost a couple bats recently. Considering how good Byrd has been, and considering the Giants might soon get Joe Panik back, things are looking up for them.