San Francisco Giants: Matt Moore trade has backfired already
By Tim Boyle
When the San Francisco Giants traded Matt Moore this winter they cleared up salary and a roster spot. Unfortunately, they could really use him right now.
The San Francisco Giants were supposed to compete for a playoff spot this year. After finishing tied for the worst record in 2017, this was the season they got back on track. After all, it’s an even number year.
As luck would have it, they weren’t so lucky.
Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija will both begin the year on the disabled list. A fractured hand has sidelined Bumgarner with a strained pectoral muscle knocking Samardzija onto the sidelines. Each will miss several weeks, with MadBum losing the most time. The Giants are hopeful he can return before the All-Star Break.
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These straights wouldn’t be so dire if the Giants still had Matt Moore on the roster. Although nothing compared to Bumgarner, Moore is a far better pitcher than whomever the Giants will use as their fourth and fifth starter now that two of their top three arms are out.
Hindsight gives us the benefit here. Trading Moore made too much sense at the time. He led the league with 15 losses last season. His 5.52 ERA in a known pitcher-friendly park also helped book his ticket out of San Francisco.
However, Moore did survive years pitching in the difficult American League East as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. In 540 innings with Tampa Bay, Moore posted a 3.88 ERA. He could surely rebound in 2018 with the Giants and his home ballpark helping him out. Of course, regular games at Coors Field may have helped balance things out.
Moneywise, Moore is set to make $9 million this year with a chance to earn $10 million in 2019. There’s a cheap buyout option available next season along with some incentives in play. His new team, the Texas Rangers, are the ones to deal with that now.
Instead of continuing to field a rotation with depth as its greatest strength, the Giants chose to acquire Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen this offseason. Can we blame them? It didn’t take all that much to land either. Their lineup is surely a whole lot better with their sticks present.
Still, it’s a tough break for the Giants to know they sent Moore away when they could have really used him.
We can expect Johnny Cueto to anchor the rotation with Ty Blach, Chris Stratton, and Derek Holland pitching behind him. I would guess the San Francisco Giants may look at some of the late Spring Training cuts for some additional help. Doug Fister is available and Jeremy Hellickson may join him soon, too.