Mark Canha is headed again to the Bay Space. The Giants acquired the veteran outfielder from the Tigers for minor league reliever Eric Silva.
It’s shocking to see the Giants swing a late deal for an impending free agent. San Francisco had been positioned extra as sellers within the few days main as much as the deadline. They subtracted a couple of gamers on assured contracts (e.g. Jorge Soler, Luke Jackson, Alex Cobb) however resisted a extra vital roster shakeup. The Giants held the likes of Blake Snell, Michael Conforto and LaMonte Wade Jr.
Their late pivot to Canha suggests they’re nonetheless holding onto some hope of erasing a four-game deficit within the NL Wild Card image. Whereas they weren’t tremendous lively patrons, they will rotate Canha by way of designated hitter within the hope that he can approximate Soler’s misplaced manufacturing. The 35-year-old isn’t having his greatest season, carrying a .231/.337/.350 slash over 377 plate appearances. He’s drawing walks at a robust 11.1% clip however solely has seven homers. His 21% strikeout price is round league common and up greater than 4 share factors from final season.
It’s Canha’s worst offensive season since he established himself as an above-average participant six years in the past. He has continued to hit whereas put in favorable platoon conditions, although. Canha owns a powerful .286/.400/.457 slash versus lefty pitching. San Francisco’s nook outfield and first base combine may be very left-handed. Every of Wade, Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski hit from that aspect of the plate. Canha can spell anybody from that trio in opposition to southpaws whereas probably taking some situational work at designated hitter, the place Marco Luciano is anticipated to get the vast majority of the enjoying time.
Canha is a San Jose native who performed collegiately at Berkeley. He spent the majority of his profession throughout the Bay Space with the A’s, the place he performed for present Giants skipper Bob Melvin. That absolutely performed a task within the Giants taking a flier on him as a rebound goal. They’re assuming roughly $3.77MM remaining on his $11.5MM wage. San Francisco is within the first luxurious tax bracket and taxed at a 20% price on that cash. Their general acquisition value comes out to roughly $4.5MM. Canha will return to free company at 12 months’s finish.
San Francisco additionally elements means with Silva, whom they drafted within the fourth spherical in 2021. He started his profession as a beginning pitching prospect however has labored completely in reduction this 12 months. The 21-year-old righty has spent the season at Double-A Richmond, working to a 4.35 earned run common by way of 41 1/3 frames. He’s hanging out upwards of 29% of batters confronted in opposition to a ten.3% stroll price.
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris was within the San Francisco entrance workplace again in 2021. He’s absolutely aware of Silva, whom Baseball America ranked because the #25 prospect within the San Francisco farm system. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft through the 2025-26 offseason.
Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Giants have been buying Canha. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel was first to report Silva was headed to Detroit.
Picture courtesy of USA At present Sports activities.
