Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE — The Giants got him. There will be no more waiting for Goudeau.
Ashton Goudeau, that is, a righty pitcher who was claimed from the Orioles on Thursday and added to the San Francisco staff mix. The Giants placed Rule 5 pick Dedniel Nunez on the 60-day injured list after the righty had been diagnosed initially with a UCL sprain, which can lead to Tommy John surgery. The Giants were seeking a second opinion.
The 28-year-old Goudeau debuted with Colorado last year, pitching 8 1/3 innings and allowing seven runs (7.56 ERA). He had been used both as a starter and reliever throughout his minor league career, including promising results out of the rotation in 2019, when he posted a 2.07 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 78 1/3 Double-A innings.
The Arizona native came up with Kansas City, where he was a teammate of Sam Selman’s. With Baltimore this spring, he allowed two runs in four innings, striking out five. The Giants may try to sneak him through waivers and then hope to stretch him out in the minors. Goudeau, who has a fastball that averaged 93.3 mph and reportedly a strong curveball and changeup, notably has two options remaining.
As for Nunez, it’s a big blow to a big arm who had shown plenty of flashes of the type of stuff that could make a Rule 5 pick stick: a high-90s fastball and devastating slider. He may be brought back next season under the same Rule 5 rules, as the Giants previously had done with Julian Fernandez.
