Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
A trade the Giants indisputably “won” Farhan Zaidi called “bad for business.”
The Giants acquired three prospect lottery tickets — including Jaylin Davis and his 35 minor league home runs this season — at the cost of Sam Dyson, who lasted 12 appearances with the Twins before needing shoulder surgery that could wipe out his 2020 season, too.
According to reports out of Minnesota, the Twins have investigated what the Giants knew about Dyson’s shoulder prior the deadline deal. The Twins and MLB have declined comment. The Giants gave their first through Zaidi on Thursday.
“When I go back to the deadline, we had zero concerns about Sam from a health standpoint,” Zaidi said on “Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks” on KNBR. “I think the way we used him all season and certainly used leading up to the deadline shows that wasn’t a concern.”
From July 15-28, the Giants brought Dyson in seven times, and in those seven innings the 31-year-old didn’t allow a run. He imploded in his first two outings with the Twins — getting two outs and allowing six runs — before his first IL stint, during which he said his shoulder had been bothering him since mid-July.
“I think fans try to look at things, ‘Hey, we won that trade, the guy got hurt,’” the Giants’ president of baseball operations said. “From a standpoint of being in a front office, you want to make trades that work out for both teams because … when you’re trying to do business in the future, people remember that and they know what your track record is.”
The Twins and Giants have been frequent trade partners this year, with the Giants also acquiring outfielders Michael Reed and Tyler Austin in separate deals. They likely won’t strike up a fourth trade soon.
Zaidi was quick to point out the other relievers he dealt have worked out for their new teams. Mark Melancon has 11 saves with Atlanta and Drew Pomeranz has been shutdown with Milwaukee, a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings. Ray Black, too, has pitched well for the Brewers, a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings.
“Frankly, that trade got done with 10 or 15 minutes left in the deadline. If anybody has the suspicion that we were out there trying to peddle damaged goods, I’m not that good of a poker player that I would’ve waited 10 minutes before the deadline,” Zaidi said.
“Both MLB and the Twins recognize there’s nothing untoward about how we handled things. It’s just unfortunate about how he’s gotten hurt.”
