Giants acquire Willie Calhoun from Rangers for Duggar
Willie Calhoun requested a trade from the Texas Rangers on May 3 after he was sent down to Triple-A Round Rock, and on Thursday, it was granted.
The San Francisco Giants acquired Calhoun and cash considerations for outfielder Steven Duggar.
The move brings about a formal end to Calhoun’s nearly five-year tenure in Texas. He was designated for assignment on June 5, but he cleared waivers to remain with the organization until the trade.
“Steven Duggar is a strong all-around baseball player who can add value to the team in a variety of ways,” said president of baseball operations Jon Daniels. “With the injury to Eli [White], we think his skill set fits our roster well. ...We wish Willie the best in his opportunity with San Francisco. It’s a fresh start for him, as well as being close to home.”
Calhoun, who came to the Rangers in a Deadline deal in July 2017 as a part of the Yu Darvish trade, was rated as the Rangers' No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and made his big league debut that September, batting .265/.324/.353 with one home run and four RBIs in 13 games.
After another short stint with the Rangers in 2018 (.222, two home runs and 11 RBIs in 35 games), Calhoun impressed the following season, belting 21 home runs in 83 games.
Calhoun has yet to build on that strong showing, however, as he’s only batted .223 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 122 games since then. Calhoun has also run into some tough luck as well, missing 31 games in 2020 after being hit in the face by a pitch and 87 games in '21 after being hit in the forearm.
He was batting .136 with one home run and two RBIs in 18 games this year before being optioned. He signed a $1.3 million contract with the Rangers in the offseason to avoid arbitration.
Daniels said after Calhoun was designated for assignment that his next big league opportunity was unlikely to come with the Rangers.
Duggar will head to Texas as part of the outfielder-for-outfielder swap. A prototypical glove-first outfielder, Duggar has been on the injured list since April 21, when he suffered a left oblique injury against the Mets. His rehab assignment ended on Thursday.
In 107 games last year, Duggar hit .257 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs while tallying a 0.6 dWAR in the field. He was batting .194 with four RBIs in 12 games this year, and he ranks in the 64th percentile in sprint speed.
With White likely to miss much of the remainder of the season with a right wrist fracture, Duggar will likely fill in as a fourth outfielder role for the Rangers. Like Duggar, White was a glove-first outfielder able to play all three positions, if necessary.
Right-handed pitcher Spencer Patton was designated for assignment to make room for Duggar on the roster. He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Round Rock after posting a 3.86 ERA in seven relief outings with the big league club in April.
Another corresponding move will be made when Duggar joins the club.