The San Francisco Giants and the Minnesota Twins have agreed to a trade that sends one of the Giants top pitching prospects to the Twins. The Twins will get Adalberto Mejia in exchange for Eduardo Nunez. Nunez was an All-Star this season. This was a pure one-for-one trade; no other players or any cash considerations were involved. Nunez will join the Giants in San Francisco for tomorrow night’s game against the Washington Nationals. This trade signals the Giants first foray into the trade market in 2016. The non-waiver trade deadline is Monday, August 1, at 4PM ET.
Giants Trade For Eduardo Nunez
The Twins haven’t had the season they were expecting, at all. Miguel Sano had a solid season in the second half last year, but hasn’t lived up to his own standards. To say the pitching has not been there would be an understatement, as they have the worst ERA and the worst WHIP of all the AL teams. If there was any bright spot on the Twins this year, it would have to be Eduardo Nunez. His current slash line reads an exceptional .296/.325/.439/.764. His speed, evidenced by his twenty-seven steals, will be an asset that the Giants can use to great effect. He’s played every infield position this year other than first base. Given the current injury issues in the Giants infield, Nunez should slide right on in and get some good playing time right away.
The Giants have had a dismal start to the second half, and a lot of it can be chalked up to the “replacements.” Though they remain in first place in the NL West, they have only won two games since the All-Star break, and have played three series against cellar-dwelling teams. Matt Duffy, Joe Panik, and Hunter Pence started the second half on the DL. Panik rejoined the team today, and in return the Giants DFA’d Grant Green. The addition of Nunez will help cover the absence of Duffy until he returns. Duffy should start his rehab assignment this weekend.
Does This Trade Deplete the Giants Farm?
Adalberto Mejia has yet to make a debut in a Giants uniform, and it now looks like he never will. Mejia came up the minor league ladder relatively quick. With the current direction of the Twins franchise, currently twenty games out of first place, a building block for the future represents a good haul in return for Nunez. Thanks to a solid amount of pitching depth in the minor leagues, highlighted by Phil Bickford and Tyler Beede, the Giants clearly had spare parts. The trade fills a need nicely, and for Giants fans, will hopefully get them back on track. Expect at least one more move out of the Giants before the deadline on Monday afternoon.
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