SF Giants reportedly have plans to trade Tommy La Stella this offseason

The SF Giants will attempt to trade veteran infielder Tommy La Stella this offseason, according to a report by Bob Nightengale.

Marc Delucchi | Oct 9, 2022

SF Giants reportedly have plans to trade Tommy La Stella this offseason /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants have been disappointed with veteran infielder Tommy La Stella's performance over the past two seasons. In fact, the Giants will try to trade La Stella this offseason, per a report by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

SF Giants infielder Tommy La Stella fields a grounder to second base. — SF Giants infielder Tommy La Stella throws a ball to first base. (2022) / Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

"The Giants are hoping to trade infielder Tommy La Stella this winter," Nightengale wrote. "He had surgery on both Achilles tendons last winter and struggled this season. He’s owed $11.5 million next season."

La Stella signed a backloaded three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Giants prior to the 2021 MLB season. La Stella was coming off a career year in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He hit .281/.370/.449 in 55 games with the Angels and Athletics that season and walked more than twice as many times as he struck out. He was also an All-Star in 2019.

It's unclear what kind of market the Giants expect to find for La Stella. He posted a meager .239/.282/.350 line this season and was far from exceptional, recording a .250/.308/.405 triple-slash in 2021. Furthermore, his already below-average defensive range took another step back.

It was recently revealed that La Stella underwent surgery on both of his Achilles tendons last offseason, which could make it easier for another team to believe he can bounce back next season. Still, while a team could believe he can improve at the plate in 2023, would that be enough to make up for his defensive limitations?

Since the Giants might plan to release La Stella if they are unable to find a trade partner, it's easy to envision them covering a significant chunk of La Stella's $11.5 million salary in 2023 for an interested team. A trade would likely save San Francisco some money and possibly even give them a chance to recoup a low-level prospect.

The SF Giants hoped Tommy La Stella's tenure with the team would go very differently. However, according to a report by Bob Nightengale, the front office has plans to trade the 33-year-old infielder this offseason.

Published Oct 9, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).