The Giants were rumored to be after a lefthanded hitting OF and were linked to names like Jackie Bradley Jr, Eddie Rosario and Joc Pederson. Welp, yesterday the Giants got their man....LaMonte Wade Jr....wait...LaMonte who? Going back to the same talent pool that produced Jaylin Davis, the Giants traded Shaun Anderson RHP for the lefthanded hitting and throwing outfielder from the Twins. So, who is LaMonte Wade Jr?
Lamonte Wade Jr OF. DOB: 1/1/1994. B-L, T-L. 6'1", 205.
Career(MiLB): .276/.389/.407, 70 2B, 17 3B, 40 HR, 303 BB, 281 K, 1710 AB.
Career(MLB): .211/.336/.347, 5 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 15 BB, 18 K 96 AB.
Apparently FZ has a near fetish for reversed K/BB's. I can't find it now, but I read a quote that he just stared at Tommy La Stella's stat line for the longest time "which probably tells you more about me than him." Wade Jr is cut out of the same cloth with his minor league line featuring BB% in the mid-teens and higher than his K% with limited power. Despite a BA of just .211 in the majors, he's maintained a respectable OBP. FZ also said the Giants were specifically looking for a lefthanded hitting OF with options so they could send him to Sacramento if needed for roster management. Some scouts think Wade Jr has power potential which the Giants coaching staff may be able to unlock.
As for Shaun Anderson, he was rapidly running out of chances with the Giants. He does not quite have the stuff to blow hitters away and never developed enough command to get them out on pitchability. Bullpen acquisitions obviously made him expendable.
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The Giants also finalized a 3 year contract with Tommy La Stella IF. In a related move, they designate Luis Alexander Basabe for assignment to open a roster spot. We'll see if they can get Basabe through waivers and keep him in the organization.
“I spent an unhealthy amount of time just staring at his 27 walks to 12 strikeout ratio from last year,” Zaidi said during a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday. “That probably says more about me than him, although it does say a lot about him.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mlb.com/giants/news/tommy-la-stella-giants-deal
I mean, I think many of us know this feeling.. Dude loves baseball.
Given his numbers, I do rather hope this Wade (Jr.) fellow can play center.
ReplyDeleteRandom Q after the Bauer extension; is there a rule against signing someone for a 10 year 40 million contract where you give them 16 million the first two years and a million for the next 8, with a player option after year 2? Would that count as 4 million a year for luxury tax purposes?
ReplyDeleteGood question. I did a quick Google search and could not find a definitive answer. There is a clause on the MLBPA agreement which addresses player options worth less than half of the AAV which might be why the 3'rd year is $17 M in Bauer's contract, but it's unclear if/how it applies to this type of opt out clause.
DeleteI'm having difficulty seeing a lot of difference between the guy they waived - Luis Alexander Basabe, and the guy they traded for - LaMonte Wade Jr
ReplyDeleteBasabe's minor league K rates are way higher than Wade Jr's.
DeleteBasabe also has no options left, whereas Wade can be sent back and forth between SF and Sac, so as to give the Giants maximum flexibility with that position/roster spot.
ReplyDelete