SF Giants swing creative trade for Tampa Bay Rays middle infield prospect

The SF Giants made one of those moves on Tuesday where they created something out of nothing. San Francisco shipped outfield prospect Tristan Peters to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for middle infield prospect Brett Wisely.

SF Giants swing a trade for Tampa Bay Rays middle infield prospect

The genesis of this trade goes back to this past summer when the Giants originally signed Trevor Rosenthal to a one-year, $4.5 million deal. The veteran reliever was recovering from an injury, so he was immediately placed on the injured list.

San Francisco hoped that Rosenthal would help bolster the bullpen down the stretch if they were still in playoff contention. However, the Giants faded from contention by the trade deadline, so the right-handed hurler was shipped to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Peters.

Peters was a 2021 seventh-round draftee who reached Double-A in his first full season. The left-handed bat .212/.302/.303 with one home run, 17 RBI, and 16 runs in 149 plate appearances with the Richmond Flying Squirrels following the trade.

He is on the move again as he was shipped to the Rays in exchange for Wisely. Wisely, who was eligible for the Rule 5 draft, was immediately added to the 40-man roster. If you are following along, the Giants added a player to the 40-man roster essentially for a veteran pitcher who did not make a single appearance in 2022. That is creative.

Whether this turns out to be a shrewd move is a different story. Wisely was drafted in the 15th round of the 2019 draft by Tampa Bay out of Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida. The left-handed bat has registered a .284/.364/.471 line with a 10.9 percent walk rate against a 20.3 percent strikeout rate as a pro.

The 2022 campaign was a strong one for Wisely as he slashed .274/.371/.460 (121 wRC+) with 15 home runs, 56 RBI, and 84 runs in 500 Double-A plate appearances. He earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A where he recorded five hits in 21 at-bats.

Eric Logenhagen of Fangraphs thinks that the new Giants bat will be able to assume a role on a major league roster:

"While he doesn’t have much raw power, these types of hitters tend to overperform by making a ton of contact. The lack of pop won’t prevent Wisely from playing a bat-first utility infield role and instead probably caps his ceiling in that area."

Wisely brings a versatile glove to the table as he has pro experience at first base, second base, shortstop, third base, and even left field. Second base is his primary position, which aligns well with the Giants who are planning to use the right-handed-hitting Thairo Estrada as the primary option. However, a left-handed bat in Wisely gives the Giants the balance that they desire in these situations.

The Giants had an extremely busy day on Tuesday and the trade for Wisely was just the beginning of it. The next deadline will be on Friday when the Giants have to decide whether to tender contracts for each of their arbitration-eligible players.