The Giants are finally inked in the trade hype, as they send Keury Mella, San Francisco's top prospect, infielder Adam Duvall. Duvall wasn't high on the prospect list, ranked just 25 on mlb.com's rankings for the team, but losing Mella is a hit to the stomach in a trade for Mike Leake. The bright side? The worries we all had this season on if we can get our pitchers healthy is a bit covered up. Leake is going to come in and really help our already veteran rotation, give a bit more oomph to it.
Giants' executives Brian Sabean and Lee Elder scouted Leake in the middle of June, as they went to watch Cueto pitch as well. They must have liked a bit of what they saw in him and it was the best value they could get with the trade pieces they had.
Leake posts a 3.56 ERA this season, in 21 starts for the Reds. He posts a 9-5 record on the season and can come into the Giants ballpark with a solid veteran presence on the mound. The Giants have an increasingly difficult schedule in August, and need all the help they can get as they sit just half a game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West division.
The NL West is up for grabs, and this writer could not be happier with the outcome of this trade. Although yours truly would have loved Cole Hamels to be available, it seemed clear early on that it would take a lot to land him. Leake is the type of pitcher who can be the team's dangerous number three pitcher, or even number two pitcher on a solid day. Leake will become a free agent at the end of the season, but the giants have posed to be a quality organization that multiple players have either took less money to stay with them, or didn't want to be elsewhere. Giants fans should feel a sigh of relief and take a breathe of excellence as the club heads into a difficult month of August.