by
Greek Giant
The Giants made another low-flying player transaction yesterday acquiring Connor Joe from the Reds. In the deal our beloved ballclub gave up for minor-league reliever Jordan Johnson and cash. Joe is known as a versatile player who plays both corner infield spots and can also play left field and right field in a pinch, instantly making him a threat to Pablo Sandoval on the 25-man roster.
This is from the San Francisco Chronicle Report:
Even if the Giants carry 12 pitchers instead of 13, giving them a five-man bench, Sandoval would be the odd man out if they kept Joe, backup catcher René Rivera, infielder Yangervis Solarte (who also can play left idle), Alen Hanson (out of minor-league options) and an outfielder who can spell Steven Duggar in center.
The move could also squeeze out Alen Hanson. We shall see what happens with one week to go before opening day. Right now the Giants are still without a General Manager, which proves my point stated about three months ago soon after the Zaidi hire, that Farhan’s role and title are really GM and not Executive Head Honcho Big Kahuna. This means that the real GM role is his and anyone hired for that title is mostly an assistant.
Looking analytically at Zaidi’s moves so far during his young tenure we see pretty much a punt for 2019 and a desire to stay well under the Luxury Tax threshold. My guess is he is playing the long game and thinking about 2020 and 2021 where the Giants may yet contend for a postseason birth.
In other news, Hunter Pence made the opening day roster of the Texas Rangers. Go Hunter!