Farhan Zaidi loves to pounce on value, and he’s taking advantage of a pitcher who was recently designated for assignment.
Zaidi and the Giants have acquired right-handed starting pitcher Cory Abbott from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations according to multiple reports and confirmed by the team.
Abbott, 26, was selected in the second-round by the Cubs in 2017. He rose up the ranks of the farm system and was ranked as the organizations No. 8 prospect at one point.
The last season was rough for Abbott, however. He made his MLB debut in 2021 and was knocked around in six relief appearances and one start, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. The advanced stats weren’t much better, with Abbott posting a 14.6% strikeout rate and 13.4% walk rate.
He looked better in his Triple-A innings, though still had a elevated 5.91 ERA in 19 starts.
This is another buy low situation for the Giants front office, a tactic that has worked extremely well since Zaidi took over. San Francisco is currently down a right-hander in Alex Cobb, though the starting pitcher isn’t expected to miss much time.
Abbott has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, while Jaylin Davis was DFA’d to make room for Abbott on the 40-man roster.