SF Giants add speedy infield prospect to complete trade with the Guardians

You can close the books on the trade that sent veteran hurler Alex Cobb to the Cleveland Guardians for pitching prospect Jacob Bresnahan and a player to be named later. On Monday, Robert Murray of FanSided confirmed that speedy infield prospect Nate Furman was the player to be named later.

SF Giants add speedy infield prospect to complete trade with the Guardians

Cobb had not appeared with the Giants before the trade. He underwent offseason hip surgery and inched toward a return at the start of the season. However, he experienced a couple of setbacks that pushed his start date back.

The righty pitcher did return for the Guardians. He yielded four earned runs in 10.1 frames before landing back on the injured list with a fractured nail.

From the Giants' standpoint, this move was done with an eye toward the future. The club wanted to give an extended look to Hayden Birdsong but they needed to clear a roster spot to make it happen. Unfortunately, Cobb was the player moved despite having a really nice career with San Francisco.

On the other hand, the Giants acquired Bresnahan and Furman. Bresnahan was drafted in the 13th round of last year's draft out of Summer High School. He agreed to a $375,000 signing bonus, which was well above the slot value. The Guardians did like his upside.

Since being moved to the Giants, he has allowed 20 earned runs with 15 strikeouts and 11 walks in 12.2 innings in San Jose. The results have not been great. That said, he is in his age-19 season, so there is still a lot of development left to realize.

The Giants added Furman in the deal as well. The left-handed bat slashed 338/.417/.500 (164 wRC+) with a 10.2 percent walk rate, 17.6 percent strikeout rate, and .162 ISO in 176 plate appearances in High-A before earning a promotion to Double-A. He struggled during his brief time at that level before sustaining a shoulder injury. Currently, Furman is on the 60-day injured list in the minors.

In the batter's box, the 23-year-old has the type of profile you would like to see with a top-of-the-order hitter. He has a simple stance with an exaggerated leg kick. Furman has a good feel for hitting and will hit a lot of line drives, especially to the pull side. He has a swing designed for contact and will see a lot of pitches, but he does not have much power upside.

Furman is an above-average runner who puts pressure on the defense with his speed. That has led to some success on the bases as he swiped 37 bags split across two levels in 2023, but only has 10 steals in 12 opportunities this year.

In the field, Furman has experience all around the diamond, but has below-average range and arm strength. This will likely limit him to second base with occasional spot starts on the right side of the field.