Moves!
It’s been a fairly quiet offseason for the San Francisco Giants, who haven’t had the churn of past winters, but on Thursday they added a pair of players.
It started in the morning, when the Giants reportedly signed right-handed pitcher Lou Trivino to a Minor League deal, with an invitation to Spring Training.
Free-agent reliever Lou Trivino in agreement with the San Francisco Giants on a minor-league contract, sources say. The deal includes an invite to spring training.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 6, 2025
Trivino has spent the bulk of his MLB career playing for Giants manager Bob Melvin. The reliever made the Majors in 2018 with the Oakland A’s, while Melvin was the manager. In four seasons pitching for Melvin, Trivino amassed a 3.70 ERA and a 3.96 FIP, with 232 strikeouts and 106 walks in 231 innings.
Things went sideways for him in 2022, though. He struggled mightily with the A’s, with a 6.47 ERA in 39 appearances. He was traded to the New York Yankees at the deadline, where things turned around, and he posted a 1.66 ERA in 25 games.
But he hasn’t pitched in the Majors since. Trivino underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023, costing him the entire season. His recovery carried into 2024, where pitched just 11 rehab innings in the Minor Leagues, and never made it back to the Majors.
Later in the day, the Giants swung a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, acquiring infielder Osleivis Basabe in exchange for cash considerations.
Giants Roster Move:
The Giants have acquired IF Osleivis Basabe (oh-SLAY-veece bah-SAH-bay) from Tampa Bay in exchange for cash considerations.
— Amy Gutierrez (@amygmultimedia) February 6, 2025
Unlike Trivino, Basabe is, notably, a player on the 40-man roster, though he has one option year remaining. The Giants had an opening on the roster after trading away Taylor Rogers, though the 40-man is now full.
Basabe, a 24-year old right-handed hitter, is a solid defensive option up the middle, and should give Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely some competition for the backup infielder role. But he’s fallen on tough offensive times lately. He made his MLB debut in 2023, but hit just .218/.277/.310 in 94 plate appearances. He spent 2024 in AAA, where the struggles continued, as he had a .629 OPS and a 64 wRC+. He’s still young, however, and has some nice prospect pedigree: Fangraphs ranked him as Tampa Bay’s No. 5 prospect in 2023, with a 55/60 hitting grade, a 50/50 speed grade, and a 45/50 fielding grade.
It will be fun to see Basabe in Scottsdale. Not only is he competing for a role, but he has some serious familiar connections. One of Basabe’s cousins is Luis Alexander Basabe, who played for the Giants in 2020; one of his cousins is current Giant Luis Matos; and one of his cousins is Giants prospect Alexander Suarez. It’s all in the family!