Giants add OF Wade Jr. in deal with Twins

During a conference call with reporters on Thursday afternoon, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi expressed interest in acquiring another left-handed hitter, preferably a young player with Minor League options who could compete for the fifth outfield spot during Spring Training.

Hours later, the Giants landed the exact player Zaidi described, acquiring outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. from the Twins in exchange for right-hander Shaun Anderson.

Wade, 27, was a ninth-round pick of the Twins in the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Maryland and reached the Majors in 2019. He hit .211/.336/.347 in 113 plate appearances for the Twins through the '20 campaign.

Wade has experience playing all three outfield spots and first base and will be a candidate to split center-field duties with Mauricio Dubón, who could benefit from spells against tough right-handed pitchers. Wade will be able to shuttle between the Majors and Triple-A Sacramento as needed, making him a more appealing option than Luis Alexander Basabe, who was designated for assignment on Thursday to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for the newly signed infielder Tommy La Stella.

Anderson, 26, logged a 5.17 ERA over 46 appearances with the Giants. A former third-round Draft pick of the Red Sox, Anderson came over to the Giants in the Eduardo Núñez trade in 2017 and reached the Majors two years later. He posted a 3.52 ERA while pitching exclusively out of the bullpen in '20, but he dealt with command issues, issuing 12 walks over 15 1/3 innings.

Zaidi had previously identified right-handed relief as an area of depth for the Giants, who added Matt Wisler, John Brebbia, Dedniel Núñez and pitching prospects Camilo Doval, Kervin Castro and Gregory Santos to their 40-man roster this offseason. Reyes Moronta is also expected to return from shoulder surgery this year, which would have created a tough path to the Opening Day roster for Anderson.