Dan Uggla went 0 for 11 with six strikeouts in his stint with the Giants committing three errors in three starts. (USATSI)
from CSN Bay Area:
Giants make roster moves, expected to cut Uggla | CSN Bay Area:
As the club boarded a flight to New York for a road trip that begins Friday at Citi Field, they were not joined by Uggla or Colvin. MLB.com’s Chris Haft reported that the Giants released both players, although the club officially confirmed only that Colvin had been optioned to Triple-A Fresno. They did not make an announcement regarding Uggla.
Giants GM Brian Sabean continues to be active in trade discussions for a second baseman, with Emilio Bonifacio expected to be dealt by the Cubs soon and the Indians also looking to move Asdrubal Cabrera.........
Giants GM Brian Sabean continues to be active in trade discussions for a second baseman, with Emilio Bonifacio expected to be dealt by the Cubs soon and the Indians also looking to move Asdrubal Cabrera.
First baseman Brandon Belt could return sooner than expected from the concussion DL. If trade discussions fall through, there’s also an outside shot that the Giants could take a flier on promoting Matt Duffy, who put himself on the radar by hitting .332/.398/.444 in 97 games for Double-A Richmond. Duffy, 23, was an 18th-round pick out of Long Beach State in 2012 and recently moved from shortstop to second base for the Flying Squirrels. He received serious consideration for a promotion before the Giants signed Uggla to a minor league contract.'via Blog this'
The Giants own AA shortstop Matt Duffy is a dark horse if the Giants do not pull the trigger on one of the many 2B prospects out there. In that case, presumably Joe Panik returns to join Adam Duvall in AAA.
Duffy was a recent addition to Jonathan Mayo MLB.com's top 20 prospect list:
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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 30 | Run: 45 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
Long Beach State has sent several of its shortstops to the big leagues through the years, with Chris Gomez,Bobby Crosby, Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria and Danny Espinosa all making appearances in the last decade. The next in line is Duffy, who was far less heralded than his predecessors when he signed for $50,000 as an 18th-round pick in 2012.
Duffy batted .303/.389/.433 in his first full pro season, then he got off to an even better start in 2014. He has a quick bat and controls the strike zone well, though he won't have more than gap power. Duffy's speed is fringy, but he shows some aptitude for stealing bases.
Duffy is a steady if unspectacular defender. While he lacks the quickness of a typical shortstop, he has reliable hands to go with a solid arm. Duffy may not be able to displace Brandon Crawford as the Giants' starting shortstop, but Duffy could find a role as a utilityman.
The best thing to come out of this for the Giants is they were able to see what the have in C Andrew Susac, 2B Joe Panik and 3B Adam Duvall. I would be surprised if all three were not contributors next year and a couple of them could start. Although his season was cut short by injury, OF Mac Williamson (6-5, 240 lbs.) could give the Giants a power bat to replace Michael Morse in LF should the Giants go that route. We have to see what he can do against major league pitching.
The Giants face some major roster decisions after this season. Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro are both signed for 2015, however Pablo Sandoval ($8.25M) and Michael Morse ($6M) are not. Among the pitchers, Ryan Vogelsong ($5M) and Sergio Romo ($5.5M) are free agents as well. Conceivably all four could be playing out the string. Morse has to show whether he is more the player we saw in the first 50 games rather than the last 50 games version. From all indications, Sandoval's price may be too dear for the Giants as he is reportedly asking for Hunter Pence money, which is more than Buster Posey money for 2015. Vogie appears to be playing his last days as a Giant and unless Romo finds the slider and the swagger he mysteriously lost, he could be gone. That's $24-$25M that could come off the books.
Arbitration decisions also need to be made on Gregor Blanco ($1.35M) Joaquin Arias (0.925M) Brandon Belt ($531K) Tony Abreu ($500K) Yusmeiro Petit and Brandon Crawford could see salary increases. Blanco is iffy. Arias has value with his defense and versatility. Belt is going to ring the register. Abreu and Petit would appear to be gone next year, although Petit is valuable insurance to the starting rotation. I'm sure he would prefer the opportunity to pitch more innings. Brandon Crawford's recent trip to the principals office notwithstanding, would appear to be secure in his position.
Based on what we've seen, I would not be uncomfortable with Duvall replacing Sandoval at 3B, but I would prefer a more definitive answer in LF. If you put a healthy Scutaro, Pagan and Belt back in the top of the lineup, with Pagan and Scutaro playing for their next contracts, I like the Giants chances. I think the system is well stocked to handle any injuries or performance declines from the starting rotation, but a clearer picture regarding the closer position is needed.
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