San Francisco Giants Clear Payroll by Trading Moore to Texas

The San Francisco Giants cleared a bit of room on their payroll, trading left-handed pitcher Matt Moore to the Texas Rangers.

With the San Francisco Giants up against the wall in terms of payroll, they needed to figure out a way to get some extra space as they attempt to improve the team. They did that Friday night, clearing $9 million in payroll by sending starting pitcher Matt Moore to the Texas Rangers.

John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that the Giants were near a deal, or that a deal was complete, and reported that Moore was one of the names that could be on the move, along with outfielder Hunter Pence. Moore is on the move, but Pence is staying. He has a full no-trade clause, and according to his wife, Lexi, on Twitter, they have no desire to leave before his contract expires at the end of the 2018 season.

The Giants acquired Moore at the trade deadline in 2016, sending popular third baseman Matt Duffy, along with a pair of prospects, to the Tampa Bay Rays. The southpaw showed flashes of absolute brilliance down the stretch that season, as he helped the Giants push into the postseason. He came within one out of throwing a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers and threw a gem in game four of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs. He couldn’t find that form in 2017.

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Moore was one of the worst pitchers in baseball last season, with a 5.52 ERA that ranked as the worst among qualified starters in the game, and a 1.532 WHIP that was second-worst. He was rated a little more favorably by FIP (4.75) and xFIP (5.10), as he was no doubt the victim of the worst defensive outfield in baseball, but still was not very good.

In exchange for Moore, the Giants received a pair of pitcher prospects and cash from the Rangers. Sam Wolff and Israel Cruz, both righties, are now Giants’ farmhands.

Wolff pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in 2017 and split the year between Double-A and Triple-A. He put together a strong year, pitching to a 2.93 ERA in 40 games and 43 innings while striking out 59 batters. In Triple-A, he owned a 2.38 ERA, 1.147 WHIP, and struck out 32 batters in 22.2 innings. Wolff will miss the first couple months of the 2018 season, at least, after undergoing flexor tendon surgery.

Cruz is 20 years old and spent the last two seasons pitching in Arizona Rookie League. He struck out almost 12 batters per nine innings in 2017, but allowed 36 hits and 21 earned runs in 32 innings. In 12 games in Venezuela Winter ball this season, he’s allowed one earned run in 6.2 innings as a reliever.

With Moore gone, the Giants make it a lot easier on themselves to offer contracts on the free agent market without going over the luxury cap threshold. It also opens a spot in the rotation for some of the team’s younger pitchers. Chris Stratton‘s place in the opening day starting five is all but assured after his great stretch run last year, and a spot is now open for competition with plenty of guys in the running.

Next: Giants lose, Gain Pitcher in Rule 5

Giants’ top pitching prospect Tyler Beede probably would have made his major league debut in 2017 if not for a groin injury that cut his season short. After a solid finish to his time in the Arizona Fall League, albeit a shortened stint because of the injury, he was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Andrew Suarez is another prospect that is close to the big leagues, and he will probably get a nice, long look in Spring Training.

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