Giants DFA fan favorite Hunter Pence after trade with Rays
By Mark Powell
The Giants have run out of patience with Hunter Pence
Despite winning five games in a row, not all is well with the San Francisco Giants. Gabe Kapler’s bunch is not getting the most out of their corner outfield spot, and decided to make a change.
Hunter Pence is far from the quirky World Series hero he once was with San Francisco, and despite a career revival of sorts with the Texas Rangers, that All-Star season looks more like an outlier these days. Pence’s WAR sits at -.7 this season, and it’s not getting better anytime soon. Such failures caused drastic measures by San Francisco, and they’ve DFA’d the fan favorite to make room for a new trade acquisition.
Will the Giants regret getting rid of Hunter Pence?
At his best, Pence is a solid, middle of the lineup presence against left-handed pitchers, but he’s been anything but that in 2020. Pence is 5-for-52 on the season and at 37, his best days are behind him. So, while a difficult decision, San Francisco is making a play for the future, albeit immediate.
OFFICIAL: #SFGiants have acquired IF Daniel Robertson from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations or a PTBNL. Robertson will report to the Alternate Training Site.
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 23, 2020
In acquiring Daniel Robertson, the Giants traded for a right-handed hitting infielder with some ties to the Bay Area. He’s not much of a factor at the plate, but Robertson is a versatile infielder who can play third base, shortstop or second base, and has been added to the Giants alternate training site because of that ability. While they might not need him now, infield depth is imperative in a pandemic-shortened season.
It remains to be seen if he’ll be a factor on this Giants team.
Next. Hunter Pence ruined Johnny Cueto’s chance at a no-hitter and he feels awful. dark