The Giants traded for former Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Winn on Saturday, trading away backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba and minor league pitcher Jesse Foppert.
Winn, a center and left fielder, is said to be expected to play both positions regularly in San Francisco. Winn is hitting .275/.342/.391 for the Mariners this season, with 25 doubles and 6 home runs. Winn, 31, was a late scratch in Saturday’s game, the first game of the season he’d missed all season.
Jesse Foppert, a former top prospect, has not regained the form he once showed before his 2003 Tommy John surgery. He missed almost all of 2004, and spent most of his time in Fresno before a mid June callup to the Giants. Foppert had collected a 5.23 ERA over 3 games, 2 starts, for the major league club. In 10 game at Fresno, he’d collected a 4.50 ERA and a 3-1 record. He had missed much of June and July by going back onto the disabled list with a strained neck, coming off the DL on Wednesday and going back to AAA.
Yorvit Torrealba had been passed over twice for the starting job in San Francisco, first for A.J. Pierzynski and then Mike Matheny, and had not been happy. He’d struggled in a backup role for the Giants, hitting just .226/.301/.344 with 8 doubles and 1 home run in 34 games this season. He’s expected to compete for the starting job with Seattle.