SF Giants acquire two versatile bats in trade with Mariners

The SF Giants acquired outfielder A.J. Pollock, infielder Mark Mathias, and cash in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for a PTBNL.

The SF Giants acquired outfielder A.J. Pollock, infielder Mark Mathias, and cash from the Seattle Mariners in a trade for a player to be named later on Monday afternoon. Mathias was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. Pollock is currently on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury, but the team is optimistic he will be activated as soon as he arrives in San Francisco. The Giants needed to create two 40-man roster spots for the team's acquisitions. They had one spot open and shifted reliever John Brebbia to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.

The full details of the move were first reported by MLB.com Mariners beat writer Daniel Kramer. ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report the two sides were close to a deal.

Pirates infielder Mark Mathias looks at a pitch in the batting cage. (2023) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

"Sprint speeds are looking pretty good, he can play some defense for you, all three outfield positions. Just a pro's pro, really happy to have him," Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the trade was announced on Monday afternoon. "Looking back to this offseason, we saw A.J. as a potential fit for us. There's a lot of familiarity with the character and the worker, and also the track record of success in some pretty big moments over the course of his career."

Pollock is easily the most notable name in the deal, a 12-year veteran who has previously won a Gold Glove and received an All-Star selection. However, he has fallen far from the peak of his career. This season, he is slashing .173/.225/.323, with five home runs and 15 runs batted in just 138 plate appearances. A right-handed hitter, Pollock has been utilized almost entirely as a platoon bat against lefties in recent seasons.

Prior to this season with the Mariners, he spent 2022 with the Chicago White Sox, and Giants fans will remember him as a Dodger from 2019-2021, and a Diamondback from his debut in 2012 to 2018.

In his career 209 plate appearances at Oracle Park, he’s hit .275/.335/.392 with three home runs and 16 runs batted in. The Connecticut-born outfielder is a former World Series champion, having played alongside new Giants teammates Scott Alexander, Ross Stripling, Alex Wood, and Joc Pederson during their time with the Dodgers.

Mathias has been a fringe big-league player over the past few seasons, hitting .249/.323/.403 with eight doubles and six home runs in 189 MLB plate appearances over the past three seasons. A right-handed hitting infielder capable of playing both second base and the outfield, he could receive an opportunity to help get some production from the Giants middle infield, which has struggled mightily recently.

With that said, Mathias was designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 25th and was claimed off waivers by the Mariners. Since teams in the same league get priority on waiver claims that means the Giants chose not to claim Mathias a month ago, which suggests his acquisition is more for organizational depth than anything else.

There is still plenty of time until the MLB trade deadline, but the SF Giants made their first move on Monday afternoon, acquiring veteran outfielder A.J. Pollock and infielder Mark Mathias in a trade with the Seattle Mariners.