The Giants have beefed up their rotation.
The San Francisco Giants have acquired pitcher Matt Moore from the Tampa Bay Rays, in exchange for third baseman Matt Duffy, shortstop Lucius Fox and pitcher Michael Santos, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Tampa Bay will including cash in the deal, per Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
Sources: Rays get Duffy, Fox and Santos for Matt Moore.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2016
Moore was one of the most widely available starting pitchers on the market on trade deadline day, as it seemed inevitable he would be dealt.
The Giants are getting a 27-year-old who missed most of 2014 and some of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Moore has returned to regular action in 2016 posting a 7-7 record, with a 4.08 ERA and a 4.49 FIP. He’s has logged 130 innings, so his health seems back in order. The former Cy Young contender isn’t the dominant pitcher he was in 2013, but is still a serviceable, middle of the rotation piece.
He’s under contract for the next three seasons, at a reasonable $26 million total salary. Moore will join a veteran rotation that includes Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy, and whatever is left of Matt Cain. It’s an impressive, experienced rotation heading into the postseason.
The Rays did well on the deal maximizing Moore’s value. Duffy was second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 with 12 home runs and 77 RBI. In 2016, he hasn’t replicated his impressive rookie campaign. He’s hit just four home runs and 21 RBI with a .313 OBP in 70 games, and is currently on the DL with an Achilles injury. Still, at 25-years old, he’s just the type of scrappy, versatile infielder the Rays seemingly love. The Giants could afford to deal him after acquiring Eduardo Nunez.
The two prospects the Rays acquire aren’t close to major league ready, but will help revamp their minor league core. Fox, signed in 2015 out of the Bahamas, is shortstop with elite speed. FanGraphs ranked him third among Giants prospects entering 2016. Fox doesn’t have much power (yet, at least), but he makes up for it with his base running ability. The 19-year-old has stolen 25 bases in 75 single-A games, while hitting .207 with a .305 OBP.
Santos, a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher, is another long-term gamble. He throws in the mid-90’s with a clean delivery, according to FanGraphs, where Santos was ranked 16th among San Francisco prospects. He’s posted an impressive season in 2016, with a 2.91 ERA in 10 starts with the Giants’ Single-A affiliate. Most impressively, Santos has displayed pinpoint control only walking five batters in 58.2 innings. He might be too good for Single-A at this point, so the Rays might promote him up the ladder.
Moore will help the Giants rotation. You can’t complete trades without giving up assets. That being said, it feels like San Francisco overpaid on the deal. They’re selling awfully low on Duffy and giving up two highly regarded prospects for a middle of the rotation starter. It’s the cost of doing business with playoffs in mind, but it’s clear the Rays come out on the better end of the deal.
