The Giants landed a pitcher they have long coveted and know well Thursday night, acquiring right-hander Mike Leake from the Cincinnati Reds for pitching prospect Keury Mella and Triple-A infielder Adam Duvall.
Advertisement
The move will affect Tim Hudson, who is 6-8 with a 4.80 ERA and hasn’t gone seven innings in a game since June 3. The Giants wound up getting Cincinnati’s second-best starter. While adding Leake could help the team win a few more games this season, postseason baseball does not appear to be in the team’s near future.
“We’ve been exploring and in touch with Cincinnati on Leake from day one”, Evans said.
So far this season with the Reds, Leake has compiled a 9-5 record to go along with a 3.56 ERA and 90 strikeouts. While Leake is a great addition for the ball club, he didn’t come cheap.
Leake has been tremendously good in 10 starts away from Cincinnati, where he owns a sparkling 2.28 ERA.
Several scouts told the Enquirer they have been impressed with the pitchers the Reds have gotten in return for the pair, including not only Mella, but also Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed. “I’m just trying to give these guys all I’ve got like I have for six years”. “In reality, he’s pitched in a small ballpark, which has not been his best friend”.
The Giants have long coveted Leake, going back to when the San Diego native was the eighth overall pick in the 2009 draft out of Arizona State.
After blowing a well-documented ton of money on players like Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Rick Porcello, and Justin Masterson, the deep pockets of the Red Sox ownership would probably still like that option better than trading assets for a player who could just leave if he wishes at the end of the year. It was Leake. Leake even grew up a Giants fan because of his father, whose favorite player is Willie Mays.
Now they get two months to recruit him while also employing his services as they attempt to defend their World Series title. But he’d been absolutely dominant in July, perhaps determined to pitch his way out of a losing situation in Cincy.
They were interested in Hamels, who waived his no-trade clause to consider the Giants. “It starts with the willingness to give it a shot”.
Advertisement
Duvall, a 26-year-old first baseman who spent time with the Giants in 2014, hit. Entering Thursday’s games, he led the Pacific Coast League in home runs and total bases (218) while ranking among the league leaders in RBI (2nd) and extra-base hits (53, 2nd).
