Trade Central: Giants Acquire Ford Proctor From Rays For Jeremy Walker

In one of the more modest trades of the lead-up to the trade deadline, the Rays cleared 40-man roster space by sending a catcher to San Francisco in exchange for a minor league reliever.

RAYS RECEIVE

Jeremy Walker, RHP
Age: 27

A one-time Braves’ prospect who spent six games in the majors in 2019, Walker‘s career was derailed by a shoulder impingement, which sidelined him in 2020 and kept him from pitching in 2021. Walker has been extremely ineffective in his return to action this year, although his stuff is back to the level it was pre-injury. He’s allowed two or more runs in nine of his 29 relief appearances this year, and has posted a 6.99 ERA overall with 47 hits allowed in 37.1 innings. Walker relies on a 91-94 mph sinker and a low-80s curveball. Since he’s not on the 40-man roster, he’s a Triple-A relief arm who is a reclamation project.

GIANTS RECEIVE

Ford Proctor, C
Age: 25

The Rays added Proctor to the 40-man roster last offseason in preparation for the MLB Rule 5 draft. That draft never occurred because of the lockout, and Proctor’s bat has been less productive in a first stint in Triple-A than it had been in any of his three previous stops. That’s meant Proctor’s 40-man roster spot was a little tenuous for a Rays’ team with a very crowded roster. Proctor could provide value as a backup catcher with unusual versatility. Proctor is the rare catcher who also can handle mostly any infield position. He’s played second, third base and shortstop this year, and is a capable emergency fill-in at all three. At his best, Proctor is a catcher who can get on base thanks to plenty of patience and modest power.