SAN FRANCISCO — With all the buzz about the Giants dipping into the relief pitching market, Bobby Evans first decided to layer his infield depth. The Giants announced they acquired Twins infielder Eduardo Nuñez in exchange for left-handed pitcher Adalberto Mejia. The Giants hope to have Nuñez arrive by Friday’s game.
The move allows the Giants to allocate rest to their regulars, as Nuñez has experience at third base, shortstop and second base this season. He also played some outfield in his days with the Yankees, but Evans was more hesitant about the 29-year-old helping out on that front. Nuñez, a right-handed hitter, has put together his best all-around season in 2016, slashing .296/.325/.439. He gives the Giants a go-to option with Matt Duffy still coming back from a strained left Achilles, and infielder Ehire Adrianza not far behind. Adrianza’s expected to join the Giants on the upcoming trip to Philadelphia. Evans said he spoke with Duffy before announcing the trade, letting him know it was purely a depth move. Duffy’s still going to start when he returns.and earning an All-Star bid (albeit on a Twins team without many). He’s got a career-high 12 home runs and 47 RBIs in 90 games this season, also adding an AL-best 26 stolen bases.
“In certainly no way is this (trade) intended to replace him,” Evans said of Duffy, “and I wouldn’t expect him to think that. I just wanted to make sure.”
Mejia was a heavy piece for the Giants to part with. He’s one of their top minor league arms, and was promoted earlier this season from Double-A to Triple-A. He’d strung together a 2.81 ERA across both levels this season while going 7-3. Evans indicated he’s a guy that’s been heavily asked about by other teams in trade discussions.
“We’re very proud of what he’s done,” Evans said. “He was very close to helping us out at the big league level. To see him go is hard.”
Going forward, Evans said the Giants are still eyeing the relief market. Left-hander Josh Osich went on the disabled list before Thursday’s game with a strained left forearm, and lefty Matt Reynolds was recalled in his place. Reynolds signed with the Giants last month out of the independent leagues, so if nothing else, Evans will get a look at a new arm before deciding to pull the trigger on acquiring another. He said even after parting with Mejia, Evans in confident he has the trade chips to make another deal.
“We’re focused on the pitching front,” Evans said. “(The Nuñez trade) came together a little more quickly, but we’ll stay focused on pitching options and try to make sure we have different options as we get down the stretch.”