Minasian brothers strike first trade as SF Giants send first baseman to Angels

The SF Giants moved on from veteran first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. last week by designating him for assignment. Now, the Giants have traded Wade to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

It is unfortunate that things had to end this way for Wade and the Giants considering he was a well-liked player who had some truly memorable moments in San Francisco, but it is nice to see that he is getting an opportunity elsewhere.

SF Giants trade LaMonte Wade Jr. to Los Angeles Angels

Although it is a fairly minor trade, it is the first trade between the Giants and Angels since Zack Minasian became the general manager of the Giants. His brother Perry has been the GM of the Angels for some time so they can now say they have made a trade GM to GM.

It will be interesting to see if Wade can get things turned around with a change of scenery. He was really struggling with the Giants, slashing .167/.275/.271 with one home run and 15 runs batted in on the year. It was clear that the struggles were beginning to wear on him, so maybe a fresh start is just what he needs to get back to being the hitter he is capable of being.

Fortunately for the Giants, they have not lost a game since the front office decided to shake things up by moving on from Wade while signing Dominic Smith to play first base. Initially it was questionable how much of an upgrade Smith would be over Wade based on their career numbers, but Smith has been great for the Giants so far and has driven in four runs already while playing solid defense at first base.

It was clear the Giants had to do something with how their offense was going. While they are clearly still not an offensive juggernaut, the move has seemed to spark something in the team as they have prevailed in five straight one-run contests.

It is sad to see Wade go, but it is good that he is getting another opportunity. We at Around the Foghorn wish Wade all the best as he continues his career in Los Angeles.