San Francisco Giants acquire Casey McGehee from Miami

With a big gaping hole left with the departure of Pablo Sandoval, the Giants have found at least their temporary replacement at third base as the team acquired Casey McGehee from the Marlins in exchange for minor league pitchers Luis Castillo and Kendry Flores. Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel  reported the deal as done along with the return for the Marlins.

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McGehee, 32, returned to the Major Leagues in 2014 after spending 2013 in Japan and posted a strong campaign, worthy of NL Comeback Player of the Year honors. In 160 games for the Marlins, McGehee batted .287/.355/.357 with four home runs and 76 RBIs. Despite not showing the power he once possessed, McGehee’s ability to put the ball in play, evidenced by his .335 BABIP, contributed to his successful season.

With Martin Prado now in the fold, McGehee ended up being an expendable piece, thus netting the team two young Dominican pitchers from the Giants’ minor league system.

First, it’s the 22 year-old reliever Luis Castillo who pitched at the Single-A level in 2014. In 48 games for Single-A Augusta, Castillo pitched to a 3.07 ERA in 48 games while striking out 66 batters in 58 2/3 innings. Being a reliever in the low minors didn’t help Castillo out in the prospect rankings but his strikeout rate (10.1 K/9) was an encouraging sign last season.

The final piece of this trade is 23-year-old starter Kendry Flores. In 20 starts for the High A ball club in Giants organization, Flores pitched to a 4-6 record with a 4.09 ERA in 105 2/3 innings pitched. Much like Flores himself, the numbers won’t blow you away and the Giants will have to hope that Flores can harness his stuff into quality major league ability.

It will be a daunting task for someone to fill the void that Sandoval left behind when he signed with the Red Sox but McGehee should provide in the least, a decent stopgap until a better alternative comes to fruition.

McGehee is currently projected to make $3.5 million through his final  aribitration eligible season before reaching free agency.