The San Francisco Giants have made a move to boost their position player depth ahead of Monday’s MLB trade deadline.
That move was to go out and get Minnesota Twins All-Star Eduardo Nunez, who can play three of the four infield spots, and has dabbled a bit in the outfield as well. With two starting infielders on the shelf and the Los Angeles Dodgers getting hotter than hot, it made sense for the Giants to add some reliable depth there.
Just how big did the Giants determine their need to be? They gave up one of their top-10 prospects, sending left-handed starting pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia to the Twins.
It was easy to see the need for the Giants with second baseman Joe Panik and third baseman Matt Duffy both finding themselves on the disabled list. Panik was just activated after a month on the shelf in the aftermath of a concussion, but there is plenty for Nunez to offer.
Nunez maximized his potential this season so far, batting .296 and stealing 27 bases so far while primarily playing at shortstop for the floundering Twins.
In return, the Twins get a prospect that is likely to improve their woeful starting rotation in the not-so-distant future. Currently, the Twins are 29th out of 30 teams in ERA (4.91), are allowing am MLB-worst .283 batting average, along with a second-worst 137 home runs allowed already this season.
Mejia has been one of the biggest pitchers in minor league baseball, holding a 2.81 ERA in 2016, and may be a quick insertion into that struggling starting rotation. He may also be a great fit to lead a youth movement in the Twins pitching staff.
While Nunez may not be a massive name to the casual baseball fan, he’s a versatile, quality infielder that several teams surely were interested in acquiring before the deadline, and he should give the Giants a nice boost in their quest to win the NL West.
[NESN]
