The Reds and Giants have swung a late night time cope with simply over three weeks to go till the commerce deadline. Per an announcement from each golf equipment, the Reds have acquired outfielder Austin Slater from San Francisco in alternate for left-hander Alex Younger. Cincinnati can be receiving money issues as a part of the deal. The Giants optioned Younger to Triple-A following the transaction.
Slater, 31, has been within the Giants group for greater than a decade. His skilled profession started when he was chosen by the membership out of Stanford within the eighth spherical of the 2014 draft, although he wouldn’t make his large league debut with the membership till his age-24 season in 2017. Slater was largely a part-time participant throughout his first few years in San Francisco, and he amassed simply 544 plate appearances within the majors between 2017 and 2019. In that restricted taking part in time, he posted a good .254/.335/.368 slash line that was good for a 92 wRC+ whereas splitting time between all three outfield spots, first base, and even making temporary cameos at each second and third base.
The shortened 2020 season noticed Slater get away in a giant means, as he posted a wonderful 150 wRC+ for the Giants whereas showing in 31 of the membership’s 60 video games that yr whereas taking part in principally proper subject and DH for the membership. That offensive explosion earned Slater a bigger position within the following years, and whereas most of his taking part in time nonetheless got here towards left-handed pitching he original extra of a correct platoon position for himself versus the reserve outfield position he had been utilized in beforehand. Slater took to the elevated duties fairly nicely, and between the 2020 and 2023 seasons the lefty masher hit a strong .259/.352/.421 (118 wRC+).
That line goes from strong to sensational when trying solely at his manufacturing towards southpaws, towards whom he mashed to the tune of a .285/.380/.486 line with a wRC+ of 141. That manufacturing towards left-handed pitching was good for Seventeenth-best in baseball throughout that 4 yr interval, on par with star hitters equivalent to Jose Altuve and Xander Bogaerts.
Whereas the Giants leaned closely on Slater as a platoon accomplice for a primarily left-handed outfield that includes sluggers equivalent to Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Conforto, and Joc Pederson throughout these years, Slater’s taking part in time was additional minimize down by damage woes. For the reason that begin of the 2020 marketing campaign, Slater has made seven journeys to the injured listing for groin, hamstring, wrist, and hand points in addition to a number of concussions. Slater additionally required elbow surgical procedure final offseason to take away a bone spur and relieve nerve ache.
It’s doable that prolonged listing of damage points has helped to contribute to what has been a tough 2024 season for the 31-year-old, as he’s hit simply .200/.330/.244 in 112 journeys to the plate this season surrounding a month-long keep on the IL as a result of a concussion earlier this yr. These struggles in the end paved the way in which for kids Heliot Ramos and Luis Matos to squeeze Slater out of taking part in time within the Giants outfield, as Ramos has stepped as much as turn out to be a daily fixture in middle subject whereas Matos serves as a righty complement off the bench for Yastrzemski and Conforto.
In buying Slater, the Reds are absolutely hoping they will coax a few of that lefty-mashing skill he flashed in earlier years out of him so as to make him a high quality platoon accomplice for the membership’s many left-handed hitting outfielders. Slater’s major competitors for taking part in time in that position figures to be Stuart Fairchild, who has slashed a lackluster .224/.298/.347 (81 wRC+) in 189 journeys to the plate this yr. Within the quick time period, nevertheless, each Fairchild and Slater determine to get loads of reps alongside Will Benson and Spencer Steer within the membership’s outfield combine due to the absences of Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, and Nick Martini. Fraley is at the moment on the household medical emergency listing and can seemingly return inside a couple of days, however each Friedl and Martini are on the injured listing and are dealing with doubtlessly prolonged absences.
In alternate for parting methods with Slater, the Giants are receiving some left-handed bullpen assist in the type of Younger. As soon as a second-round decide by the Diamondbacks within the 2015 draft, the lefty made his large league debut again in 2019 and usually struggled on the main league degree in a swing position with Arizona and Cleveland. That modified in 2022, when Younger was acquired by San Francisco in a money cope with the Guardians and commenced pitching in a brief reduction position full-time. The lefty carried out fairly nicely throughout his first stint with the Giants and posted a 2.39 ERA and a pair of.96 FIP throughout 26 1/3 innings of labor earlier than being non-tendered by San Francisco the next November.
Younger finally caught on with the Reds on a minor league deal previous to the 2023 season and has remained with the membership ever since. He posted strong ends in center reduction with the membership final yr, pitching to a 3.86 ERA regardless of a lackluster 4.99 FIP. Whereas Younger’s 21.2% strikeout price and eight.5% stroll price had been each completely strong, he allowed a whopping ten homers throughout his 53 2/3 innings of labor with the Reds final yr.
Younger has spent many of the 2024 season on the Triple-A degree for the Reds, though he’s posted spectacular numbers each in his two scoreless innings on the large league degree and in his bigger physique of labor within the minors. In 23 appearances with the membership’s affiliate in Louisville this yr, Younger has posted a glowing 1.19 ERA whereas putting out a strong 25.3% of batters confronted. Sadly, the lefty hasn’t been in a position to get a lot taking part in time within the majors with the Reds this yr due to the membership’s deep bullpen, which options every of Justin Wilson, Sam Moll, and Brent Suter as high quality left-handed choices.
That made Younger expendable sufficient that the Reds had been keen to half methods with him, and it’s simple to see how the lefty may impression a Giants bullpen that has leaned closely on Erik Miller to behave as a secondary lefty reliever behind high-leverage arm Taylor Rogers. Miller, a 26-year-old rookie with a 3.51 ERA and 4.49 FIP in 41 innings of labor this yr, options a way more pronounced platoon break up than Younger has lately, and the spacious outfield of Oracle Park must be a terrific match for Younger that helps to curtail his proclivity for giving up homers.
San Francisco can be sending money to Cincinnati within the deal alongside Slater, a reality that would issue into the membership’s last luxurious tax calculation later this yr. Previous to the swap, RosterResource indicated that the Giants have a luxurious tax payroll of just below $254MM, or simply over $3MM under the second threshold of the luxurious tax. Slater is making $4MM this yr, whereas Younger is incomes a wage of $1.16MM. Relying on the amount of money the Giants are together with within the deal, it’s doable that the commerce offers the extra good thing about providing the membership further monetary wiggle room under the second luxurious tax threshold.
