scheduled tribe. LOUIS – An amusing group chat has emerged from the frenzied San Francisco-Seattle roaster-go-round.
Donovan Walton, Kevin Padlow and Mike Ford have all shuffled between the Mariners and the Giants in one way or another over the past two weeks. To keep in touch — and keep track — the trio of players began messaging each other.
Current Status Report: Walton, latest trade target, joins Giants in St. Louis on a taxi-squad basis (not part of an active roster). Padlow, who came in for cash, is a regular at Triple-A Sacramento. And Ford, who joked about being named a “COVID replacement player,” was sent back to Seattle to add Walton to the 40-man roster.
“Crazy,” said Walton, 28, who has a career .196 / .260 / .315 batting line in 102 MLB plate appearances. “We were telling jokes about it. Nice to see Padlo yesterday. He didn’t say anything but great things, so I’m excited to be here.”
Walton had to say hello to Padlow, but that was all he had time for. Louis on Friday after making a pitstop in El Paso, where Padello and Triple-A Sacramento are currently playing a series.
Looking at recent history, the Mariners’ bag sitting at the Giants Clubhouse on Friday afternoon hardly looked out of place. The thing with the most pressure in the hand was whose it belonged. It was Walton’s third navy blue tool bag, emblazoned with a compass rose, to appear at the Giants Clubhouse, after Padlow and Ford.
But Walton is not necessarily grouped with the other two.
The Giants parted ways with 22-year-old pitching prospect Prelander Beroah, an asset of real value, to acquire Walton.
And, as a versatile defender who has shown aptitude for pitch selection in all the minors, he fits the profile of a player that the Giants covet.
Although his limited offensive numbers in the Majors in the past four seasons left little to be desired, he was batting .294/.368/.510 in Triple-A this season and has been a consistent success at every level. big league. In 12 games in Triple-A this season, he appeared at second base, third base, shortstop and left field.
“He’s a guy we’ve had our eye on for a long time,” Kapler said. “Great interaction skills. A guy who works that counts and moves and embodies the spirit of what we care about in our aggressive philosophy. He also has the situational versatility that we really value , as well as strong makeup, according to all reports.”
To open their six-game, two-city road trip, Walton was part of a four-man taxi squad the Giants brought with them to complement their 26-man active roster. Walton, who goes by Donnie but prefers Donovan, was joined by infielder Luke Williams and relievers Mauricio Lovera and Unnier Marte.
Kapler said the reinforcement was precautionary, with day’s play on Saturday following Friday’s game, which potentially makes it difficult to get timely replacements if needed.
“What we’ve seen this year is that we can’t see everything that’s to come,” Kapler said. “The most important thing is that we are not stuck in a situation where it is difficult to get people here.”