Giants acquire OF Cal Stevenson in minor trade with A's

The SF Giants acquired outfielder Cal Stevenson in a trade with the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations on Wednesday morning. The A's had designated Stevenson for assignment last week. To clear a space on the 40-man roster for Stevenson, the Giants designated left-handed pitcher Sam Long for assignment. Following the trade, Stevenson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. This is the second minor trade the Giants have made this season for a fringe big-league outfielder. They acquired Matt Beaty from the Royals back on Opening Day.

Stevenson was a 10th-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2018 and was traded twice throughout his minor league career, going from Toronto to the Tampa Bay Rays organization before he was traded to the A's in 2022. After he was acquired by Oakland, Stevenson made his big-league debut with the Athletics last season. He struggled mightily in 71 plate appearances, hitting .167/.261/.217 with 23 strikeouts and eight walks.

Now 26, Stevenson's profile should sound familiar to Giants fans who have grown accustomed to president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi's churn of the 40-man roster.

A Fremont, California native, Stevenson has had an excellent approach in the minors, walking more than he's struck out over his minor-league career. He has above-average speed, which plays well in center field and allows him to play all three outfield positions. However, he has struggled to generate extra-base hits throughout his career in the minors, raising questions about whether his offensive game will ever translate to the highest level. Over his Triple-A career, Stevenson has hit .289/.397/.414 with 51 walks and 57 strikeouts in 336 plate appearances.

It's worth noting that Stevenson, a left-handed hitter, has showcased extreme platoon splits at times in the minor leagues. Last season, between Triple-A and his stint in the majors, Stevenson posted an abysmal .167/.256/.218 triple-slash against southpaws while striking out in more than 25% of his plate appearances. Against righties, on the other hand, he hit .293/.400/.427 with an 18.8% strikeout rate and a 15.0% walk rate.

After being traded for the third time in his career, Cal Stevenson will head to the Giants Triple-A affiliate where he will look to earn another big-league opportunity. Still, it seems like an indictment of the SF Giants organization that they have now turned to players who were let go by the Royals and Athletics, two of the worst teams in MLB early this season. Granted, the Orioles were one of the worst teams in the league when they parted with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski back in 2019.