Out of Left Field
By Fred Owens
Mar. 20, 2015; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Fans in the outfield grass viewing area look on as San Francisco Giants outfielder Travis Ishikawa makes a leaping catch against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Waiver Wire
MLBTR’s Waiver Wire Tracker has some interesting names on it. One of the heroes of last season’s World Series – former Giant Travis Ishikawa – was DFA on 5/25/15.
Ishikawa slashes .262/.328/.408/.735 against RHP and played an okay if not sterling left field last year. His real trade is as a first baseman and since the Braves don’t have a backup plan on the books should Freddie get hurt, adding Ishikawa makes sense. If the Giants don’t trade him by 6/3/15 he can either accept assignment or become a free agent and the Giants would pay all but the league minimum portion of the $1M or so remaining on his contract.
The Orioles designated outfielder Alejandro De Aza for assignment on the 27th. De Aza was acquired last summer and performed well enough –.293/.341/.537/.877, 3 homers, 3 triples, and 5 double in just 89 PA – for the O’s to tender him a $5M arbitration contract. This year he’s not been that good. In 112 PA he posted a .214/.277/.359/.636 line but still shows some power with 3 homers, a triple and 4 doubles.
Against RHP however he’s been much better slashing .244/.306/.411/.717 in 90 PA and all of those extra base hits came against RHP. UZR likes his left field defense but DRS shows a –1 for last year; he’s not gold glove but he isn’t awful either. Obviously the Orioles would have to give us something to take all the salary I already looked and they don’t have a good pitching prospect returning from TJ surgery to throw in so Hart would have to be convinced some other way. Maybe half his pay would do that.