The San Francisco Giants may have a sub .500 record at 44-47, but they are still in the thick of the National League wild card race, as they sit just 3.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the third and final spot. If the Giants are going to make it to the playoffs, though, they are going to need to fix their roster up a bit, which led to them pulling off a trade that will see them reunite with a former reliever of theirs.
Earlier this week, the Giants placed struggling outfielder Austin Slater on waivers, and they seemed prepared to lose him for nothing. Instead, the Cincinnati Reds came calling, and they ended up picking Slater up in a trade instead, with the Reds sending veteran left-handed reliever Alex Young back to San Francisco after he pitched for them back in 2022.
Via Bob Nightengale:
“The San Francisco Giants, who placed OF Austin Slater on waivers this week, now trade him and cash to the Cincinnati Reds for LHP Alex Young. Slater earns $4 million.”
Giants hoping Alex Young can find a spot for himself in the bullpen
Young has bounced around the league a bit since finding his way to the majors back in 2019, and he will now return to the Giants after he enjoyed a solid stint in their bullpen back in 2022 (1-1, 2.39 ERA, 20 K, 1.48 WHIP). Given how San Fran was prepared to lose Slater for virtually nothing in return, picking up a reliever they are familiar with is a solid piece of business.
After a strong 2023 campaign (4-2, 3.86 ERA, 50 K, 1.36 WHIP), Young began the season on the 60-day injured list due to a back injury he picked up in Spring Training. He was activated late in May, but he's only made three appearances in the majors this year, as he's spent most of his time in Triple-A, where he has been lights out for the most part (2-0, 1.19 ERA, 22 K, 0.84 WHIP).
Young isn't the greatest pitcher ever obviously, but left-handed arms are always something that postseason contenders need, and the Giants are no different. While he's struggled at times throughout his career in the majors, if Young can get hot, he could end up being a key piece of San Francisco's bullpen down the stretch of the season.
Giving up on Slater was necessary given his struggles, and recouping a potential impact bullpen piece is a good consolation prize in this situation. Young is going to have to establish himself in the majors first, but assuming he can do that, this will be a win for the Giants. Expect bigger trades to follow down the line if San Francisco can piece together a bit of a win streak, as all eyes will be on them to see how they follow up this smaller deal for Young.
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