Key member of SF Giants trade for Robbie Ray gets a fresh start with Yankees

A lot of things had to go right for the SF Giants to win 107 games in 2021. One thing that went right was Anthony DeSclafani having a great year. The former Giant has just signed with the New York Yankees.

The 35-year-old has bounced around a bit and unfortunately dealt with injuries in recent seasons. The Yankees are signing him as a depth piece for their rotation in case they sustain any more injuries to their starting pitchers in the big leagues. His contract is a minor-league one so there is no guarantee he will pitch in the major leagues this season, but it would be a nice comeback story if he is able to.

Former SF Giants pitcher signs minor league contract with Yankees

Giants fans will remember DeSclafani, or "Disco" as he was affectionately known, from the 2021 season when the Giants shocked everyone by winning 107 games and stealing the National League West crown from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That season, DeSclafani pitched great. In 31 starts for San Francisco he had a 3.12 ERA in 167 and 1/3 innings pitched. He pitched two complete game shutouts for the Giants that season which is a rarity in the modern game but shows just how strong he was.

The only team that DeSclafani really struggled against that season was the Dodgers and those struggles continued into the postseason when he only pitched 1 and 2/3 innings against Los Angeles in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

Despite this, the Giants still rewarded him with a three-year contract following that great 2021 season. Farhan Zaidi's decision to sign him to a one-year deal in 2021 was a stroke of genius, but the three-year contract aged poorly.

He only pitched in five games for the Giants in 2022 because of an injury and then in 2023 he struggled as well, pitching in 19 games to a 4.88 ERA.

However, DeSclafani was part of the trade with the Seattle Mariners that brought Robbie Ray to the Giants back at the start of 2024. That has looked like a great move by Zaidi especially in light of how dominant Ray has been to start this season for the Giants.

We will see if DeSclafani still has anything left in the tank, but it is nice to see him get this opportunity no matter what. He was a key part of San Francisco's miraculous 2021 season and eventually ended up being a trade chip in a deal that has worked out well for the Giants so we should all wish him nothing but the best.