Trade Central: Giants Deal Duffy, Prospects For Matt Moore

THE DEAL

The Giants had several needs heading into the trade deadline and made two moves on Aug. 1 to bolster their pitching staff. After giving up 2015 first-rounder Phil Bickford and catcher Andrew Susac to the Brewers for lefthander Will Smith, the Giants traded two more prospects, plus top 2015 rookie Matt Duffy, to the Rays to pick up another lefthander.

Matt Moore hasn’t been an ace for a while, and the Giants will try to resurrect the 2011, pre-Tommy John surgery version of Moore, the one who was a playoff ace for Tampa Bay. But Moore, who has team options for 2017-19, may not have to be that strong; he may just need to be a fourth starter, better than veteran righties Jake Peavy (5.47 ERA) and Matt Cain (5.53).

GIANTS ACQUIRE
Matt Moore, lhp
Age: 27

Moore made an impressive splash in the major leagues from 2011-2013, including a win against the Rangers in the 2011 AL Division Series, and a 29-15, 3.55 mark over 337 innings in that time. But after Tommy John surgery in 2014, Moore is still getting back to top form and still has a plus fastball for a lefty, sitting at 93-94 mph, and he’s locating it better, with a walk rate down to 2.8 BB/9 IP. His main problem in 2016 has been home runs allowed (20 in 130 innings), including nine in nine road starts (54 IP). Moore doesn’t use his changeup often but throws his curveball about 25 percent of the time, but his success is predicated off his ability to throw quality strikes with his plus fastball. If he can do that, he can help San Francisco’s top-heavy rotation.

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Tampa Bay (American)	MLB	7	7	4.08	21	21	130	125	62	59	20	40	109

RAYS ACQUIRE
Matt Duffy, 3b
Age: 25

Duffy finished second in the voting for the National League’s rookie-of-the-year award last season, when he played all four infield spots for the Giants while posting a .762 OPS with 12 home runs. He had been the No. 9 prospect in the Giants system prior to last year, so he had exceeded expectations significantly.

He’s been unable to repeat that success this season, due in part due to Achilles issues that landed him on the disabled list in late June. He hasn’t played since June 19, with Conor Gillaspie stepping in at third base and even hitting third at times for the Giants. Duffy has the athleticism and footwork to go back to the middle infield, which makes sense considering Tampa Bay has Evan Longoria at third base.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
San Francisco (NL)	MLB	.253	70	257	32	65	11	2	4	21	20	40	8	.313	.358

Lucius Fox, ss
Age: 19

Fox started last year as an international free agent, after having left American Heritage High in South Florida to return home to the Bahamas and become an international free agent. The Giants signed him for $6 million last year and he immediately jumped to No. 4 on the club’s Top 30 prospects list. However, Fox just turned 19 a month ago and has proved overmatched offensively at low Class A Augusta, batting just .207/.305/.277 through 331 plate appearances. Fox lacks strength in his 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame and gets overwhelmed by power stuff at this point. His tools and athleticism are worth acquiring, though, as he’s twitchy, loose and a 70 runner on the 20-80 scouting scale. His 25 stolen bases rank sixth in the South Atlantic League. He’s an erratic defender with 32 errors at this point and may be a better fit at second base, where he was slated to play (next to current Florida Gators third baseman Jonathan India) at American Heritage High.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Augusta (South Atlantic)	LoA	.207	75	285	46	59	6	4	2	16	37	76	25	.305	.277

Michael Santos, rhp
Age: 21

Santos, according to David Lee of the Augusta Chronicle, just reported to Arizona to rehabilitate after a June 3 incident when a comebacker struck him in the head. Santos was trending up for the Giants prior to his injury after entering the season as the organization’s No. 19 prospect. Santos has excellent size at 6-foot-4 and is adding weight to his listed 170 pounds. His fastball can reach 94 mph with room to improve, and he adds a curveball and changeup. Most appealing, Santos throws strikes with his fastball when healthy and has a loose arm and easy velocity. He’s projectable; now he just has to get healthy.