We have a trade!
Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline is Monday, and the San Francisco Giants just turned up the heat with the week’s first somewhat big deal.
Sure, we’ve seen some smaller trades such as the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays swapping relievers Drew Storen and Joaquin Benoit, but the Giants, real contenders in the National League, just sent a top prospect away and filled a need for their scuffling offense with a very good player.
San Francisco acquired All-Star infielder Eduardo Nunez from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia, the team confirmed.
Nunez, 29, primarily plays shortstop, but he has played plenty of third base, second base and even a bit of outfield during his MLB career. He’s batting .300 this season and has 26 stolen bases. Most importantly, though, he helps fill a hole somewhere on the diamond while second baseman Joe Panik and third baseman Matt Duffy are on the disabled list.
Backup Ramiro Pena is batting over .300 while taking over primarily at second for Panik, but Conor Gillaspie has struggled a bit at the plate while filling in at third. Nunez easily can slide into the position and add a bit of speed atop the lineup, should Giants manager Bruce Bochy slot him there.
In return, the Twins receive Mejia, the Giants’ No. 7 prospect. The 6-foot-3, 23-year-old left-hander has enjoyed a terrific season in the minors with a 2.81 ERA. He had a terrific debut last month at Triple-A Sacramento, striking out eight batters in seven scoreless innings, immediately strengthens an already great Minnesota farm system and even could help bolster the abysmal Twins rotation before season’s end.
Thumbnail photo via Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports Images
