SF Giants add pitcher with Bay Area ties in trade with the Blue Jays

After Saturday's 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the SF Giants swung a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. They acquired pitcher Mitch White in exchange for cash considerations. Alex Cobb was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants add pitcher with Bay Area ties in trade with the Blue Jays

The Blue Jays designated White for assignment last week, so this move brings a close to his stay on the waiver wire. The addition checks off a lot of boxes that the Giants typically check with waiver wire moves in that he has prior ties to the front office and grew up in the Bay Area.

White was originally a second-round pick in the 2016 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of Santa Clara University. At the time, Farhan Zaidi was serving as the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, so there is a prior connection between the two.

Of course, White grew up in San Jose and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory before attending Santa Clara University.

The righty pitcher owns a 3.91 ERA across seven minor league seasons, but he has struggled to a 5.04 ERA in four seasons at Triple-A. He has appeared in parts four seasons in the majors as well where he has tallied a 4.99 ERA, but this comes with a quality 3.96 FIP.

On the mound, White features a starter's arsenal even if he has seen more time in the bullpen in recent seasons. He relies on a mid-90's four-seam fastball with a slider, sweeper, curveball, and an occasional sinker.

On the other side of the transaction, Alex Cobb gets moved to the 60-day injured list. This move is retroactive to the start of the season, so he is still eligible to return at the end of May if he is ready by then.

At one point, Cobb was inching toward an early-season return after having offseason hip surgery. However, he sustained a mild elbow strain to go along with shoulder irritation in recent days. Neither injury is considered serious, but these ailments slowed his recovery to the point where moving him to the 60-day injured list makes sense.

The Giants are counting on him to help out in 2024. He was a solid rotation arm for San Francisco last season, posting a 3.87 ERA in 28 starts while earning his first All-Star nod.