Former SF Giants infielder signs with 3rd NL West team this season

The San Diego Padres snuck in a last-minute move before the end of August. They signed former SF Giants infielder and 11-year veteran Nick Ahmed to a minor league deal according to a team announcement.

Former SF Giants infielder signs with 3rd NL West team this season

Baseball got rid of the August trade deadline a few seasons ago, but the days leading up to the end of August is still a period of roster and non-roster activity. Teams that fall out of the playoff picture will often place a handful of players on waivers.

August 31 is also the deadline for players to be added to an organization to be eligible for the playoff roster. They do not necessarily need to be on the 40-man roster by the end of August as is the case with Ahmed and San Diego, but they do need to be in the organization.

For Ahmed, it has been a whirlwind of a year. At the end of last season, his 10-year stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks came to an end as he was cut loose late in the season. That was a tough move to digest given that he was an excellent defensive player and took home two Gold Glove Awards with Arizona. Plus, the Diamondbacks reached the World Series for just the second time in franchise history.

Unfortunately, Ahmed did not get a chance to be part of that playoff run. He joined San Francisco on a minor league deal late in the offseason and won the starting shortstop gig with a strong Cactus League performance as he recorded 11 hits, including two home runs, in 31 at-bats.

Of course, those did not translate to the regular and the Giants did not expect that to be the case. They knew he was a glove-first infielder and anything he added with the bat was a bonus. Overall, he 34-year-old posted a .581 OPS with one home run and 15 RBI in 172 plate appearances before he was cut loose in July.

Ahmed caught on briefly with the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly thereafter. Perhaps, his one big moment with them came when he hit a clutch home run against the Giants in a 6-4 win for Los Angeles. The Dodgers cut ties with him at the end of August but he did not remain a free agent for long.

If Ahmed appears with San Diego, he will have played for four of the five NL West teams with the Colorado Rockies being the lone exception. Around these parts, we call that a Steve Finley. Or, is it a Matt Herges?