Casey McGehee to the Giants

[stringer bell]

The Giants have their third baseman, I guess.  They acquired Casey McGehee from the Marlins.  Many of us had speculated that the Giants would be interested in trading for Trevor Plouffe to take the Panda's spot for the Gigantes.  McGehee appears to be comparable, but less valuable than Plouffe in just about every category.  He is 32, four years older than Plouffe.  His defense grades as below average, Plouffe has progressed to positive territory.  His career OPS+ is 96, coming off a 99 in 2014.  Plouffe is coming off a 110 OPS+ season and is a lifetime 99.  Finally, Plouffe will be under team control for three more years while McGehee is a free agent after the 2015 season.  The Giants yielded two pitching prospects for McGehee, what could the Twins expect for Plouffe? 

[Thrylos]

McGehee is a journeyman utility player and the compensation was about at that level.  Kendry Flores and Luis Castillo who went to the Marlins are the equivalent of (let's say) Ethan Mildren and Tim Shibuya in the Twins' organization.  Plouffe is not a good comparison.  And getting a utility player does not mean that the Giants closed their third base hole, if they want to stay contenders. 

[ashbury]

The Giants didn't give up much - a starter who doesn't seem to project to anything special, and a run of the mill reliever who strikes out a lot of guys at single-A.  The space between this trade and the earlier Donaldson trade is so vast that it gives hardly any guidance as to what Plouffe would bring, except "more than the one, less than the other."

[Otto von Ballpark]

I think Plouffe also sadly occupies a grey area, where he is not good enough to be a big trade target like Donaldson, but too good/controllable to be appealing as a cheap stopgap like McGehee.

 

I am sure they could trade Plouffe if they wanted, but the above profile suggests it may be particularly hard to get a fair/good return.

[biggentleben]

The Marlins took nearly nothing for McGehee, and it sounds as if other 3B they called on would have cost them a better prospect.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

McGehee is a placeholder for 2015. The Giants will probably not keep him in 2016 unless he has a ridiculous season. I think the Giants were just hoping to stay above replacement level there for 2015 and figure out the long term solution later.

[biggentleben]

McGehee is a placeholder for 2015. The Giants will probably not keep him in 2016 unless he has a ridiculous season. I think the Giants were just hoping to stay above replacement level there for 2015 and figure out the long term solution later.

 

I think the Giants are at a turning point with their roster and farm system that long-term commitments for them aren't exactly the best thing.