Deal: OF Kevin Pillar to San Francisco
INF Alen Hanson, RHP Derek Law and RHP Juan De Paula to Toronto
The Giants land a new centerfielder in Pillar who’s been aces at the position, though his UZR/150 has declined in each of the last three years, and coming in at just above league average in 2018. The 30-year-old will need to find some youth in that glove to ensure he can patrol one of the most spacious areas in baseball.
San Francisco gets to enjoy essentially two years of control for Pillar, who becomes a free agent after the 2020 season. Connor Joe and Michael Reed (since DFA’d), both minor league acquisitions, were a combined 0-for-18 with 10 strikeouts at the time of the trade, which I’m sure helped galvanize GM Farhan Zaidi to acquire Pillar. Pillar’s hit 31 home runs and stolen 29 bases in his last two years, but his slash line has been .252/.290/.411 in that span.
For fantasy purposes, Pillar is less exciting now than ever. He’s an NL-Only grab that’ll retain his value simply by accruing plate appearances. Expect a 12 HR/15 SB season. You decide if you need that on your team.
Derek Law, RHP: A reliever through and through, the Jays assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo yesterday after the acquisition. He’s a fringe reliever relying on a three-pitch mix to get by and has had a bad 50.2 IP in the last two years (5.68 ERA, 4.58 FIP). He should try pitching backwards and instead use his slider which has allowed a 2.36 FIP in 199 thrown. Compare that to a 5.03FIP and .382 wOBA off his fastballs. Already 28, I expect Law to cap out as a long reliever at best.
Alen Hanson, INF: Hanson remains with the big league club for now. A career .238/.269/.384 hitter in 577 PA with the Giants, Hanson is a light-hitting infielder with some speed, giving him the upside of a 10/15 season were he given everyday at-bats. For now, he’s bench depth, sapping all fantasy appeal.
Juan De Paula, RHP: De Paula clocked in 18th in Jason Pennini’s Giants Top 30. Here’s what he wrote:
The Giants acquired Juan De Paula as the centerpiece in the Andrew McCutchen deal. He is a great athlete with plus arm speed. His mechanics look a bit raw, and he needs to work on maintaining body and arm speed for his off speed pitches. He could also better repeat his delivery. At times De Paula would over-rotate to the the glove side. He strides home with plus torque, and his use of lower half and athletic burst are excellent. It is fair to say he gets the most out of his frame 6’3” frame 165 lb frame, although that weight appears to be dated; he looks closer to 180. The cross-body arm action can get a bit long and there is effort in the delivery, complete with head whack. In spite of these mechanical blemishes De Paula put up excellent numbers in with Staten Island. Having turned 21 in September he is a young 21 and there may be some more weight coming, which inspires hope for more consistent mid 90s velocity. A lot needs to go right for him to become a starter. Body projection and athleticism still make him an interesting guy to keep tabs on.
And here’s some video:
De Paula isn’t roster worthy in dynasty leagues unless you roster, I don’t know, 750+ prospects? In which case just about any minor leaguer has a case to be rostered.
/shrug emoji