The San Francisco Giants pick up some infield depth as they acquire Eduardo Nunez from the Minnesota Twins.
The San Francisco Giants just got Joe Panik back in their infield. They are still without Matt Duffy at third base. They have been using Ramiro Pena to help out there, but it looks like they are turning to another former Yankee to help bolster their infield.
#SFGiants have acquired IF Eduardo Nunez from the Twins in exchange for minor league LHP Adalberto Mejia.
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) July 29, 2016
Nunez is having a career this year and was the Twins’ All-Star representative this year. Nunez is hitting .300/.326/.444 this season with 12 homers, 47 RBI and leads the AL with 26 stolen bases.
Nunez has played in 55 games at short, 33 games at third, and five games at second and has appeared in the outfield in his career.
Duffy could start a rehab assignment this weekend, so Nunez can start at third and provide depth all over the field.
Matt Duffy ran bases today, went really well. He could start rehab assignment this weekend.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) July 29, 2016
Nunez will not be a free agent until 2018.
In return, Twins interim GM Rob Antony was able to pull one of the Giants’ top 10 prospects in return. Mejia, per MLB Pipeline, is the Giants’ seventh ranked prospect. Mejia moved up to AAA for the first time this season. He is 4-1 with a 4.20 ERA in seven games at that level, striking out 43 in 40.2 innings, but has given up 42 hits. MLB Pipeline provides the following scouting report:
"Mejia received the highest bonus in the Giants’ 2011 international crop, signing for $350,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He pitched a career-low 51 1/3 innings last year, the result of a 50-game suspension for testing positive for stimulants and a bout with shoulder tendinitis, but pitched well enough in Double-A and the Arizona Fall League to earn a spot on San Francisco’s 40-man roster.Mejia often pitches in the low 90s and tops out at 95 with sink and tail on his fastball, though at times he’ll dip down to the upper 80s. His slider and changeup can be solid pitches on occasion, and he has the aptitude to vary the break on his slider. He also can mix in a curveball for show.There isn’t much effort in Mejia’s delivery, and he’s doing a better job of repeating it and maintaining the quality of his stuff and command. He’ll need to watch his conditioning because his 6-foot-3 frame carries a lot more than his listed 195 pounds. He most likely will fit in the No. 4 slot in a big league rotation."
For the Twins, it’s another young arm that’s close that they can build around. They can let Miguel Sano play third instead of putting him in right which was a mistake from the jump.
For the Giants, they get some offense. In the month of July, the Giants are 21st in baseball in average and 19th in OPS. They are also 26th in runs scored. It should give the Giants a bit of a spark and is a great depth move for the club.