It's been a very slow offseason for the Giants and new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
In December, they signed switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, claimed outfielder Mike Gerber from Detroit, and selected left-handed pitcher Travis Bergen and outfielder Drew Ferguson in the Rule 5 draft.
On Saturday, the Giants made their first move of 2019 when they acquired infielder Breyvic Valera from the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations.
Doesn't exactly move the needle, right? Wrong.
Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow is a big fan of the Valera deal, and he explained why Tuesday on KNBR 680.
"I thought it was an interesting acquisition, only because when Farhan was with the Dodgers, he was one of the Dodgers players that went to Baltimore in the trade for [Manny] Machado," Krukow said. "And he obviously liked him because he wanted him in the Giants organization, which he got."
Valera provides versatility. While he has played mostly second base in his brief major league career, Valera has spent considerable time at shortstop and left field in the minor leagues. He's also seen limited time at third base, center field and right field.
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"And I think, the importance of that, you have a guy that can play both sides of second base and play shortstop mainly," Krukow said. "Past Brandon Crawford, that's one of the big concerns everybody has about the Giants is, ‘What happens if Crawford goes down? Who's going to be your everyday shortstop?' And I think this guy Valera could fill in for a while, not just be a Band-Aid for a few days or a few weeks. I do think it was a significant acquisition, and I don't think it was a small one."
Aside from Crawford and Valera, the only other players on the Giants' 40-man roster who can play shortstop are Alen Hanson and Abiatal Avelino. If 26-year-old Valera can fill in for Crawford, then he provides immense value.
