The Giants have designated first baseman and outfielder Travis Ishikawa for assignment, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets. Ishikawa, 31, has not appeared in the big leagues this season — he opened the year on the DL with a back injury and recently finished a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento.
Ishikawa played his first four seasons in the big leagues with the Giants, then returned to them last season, when he played a memorable role in the Giants’ World Series run by hitting a walk-off homer against the Cardinals to end the NLCS. The Giants avoided arbitration with Ishikawa this offseason by signing him to a $1.1MM deal, but as GM Bobby Evans explains (via a tweet from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Hank Schulman), the Giants did not have a spot for Ishikawa on their current 25-man roster, with no time for him at first and the right-handed Justin Maxwell joining Hunter Pence, Nori Aoki, Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco in the outfield. For his career, Ishikawa has a .259/.322/.397 line in parts of seven seasons.
This is why organizations like the Giants and Cardinals stay succesful. If the hero of the previous post season is unproductive and needs to go, he will go. The Phillies would sign him to a two year deal with an option for a third
You mean a 5 year deal with a full no trade clause and perks such as suites on the road….that’s more like Ruben Jr….
He wasn’t unproductive, the Giants just had no room for him. He was rehabbing in AAA and I believe he hit above .300. I agree with you about the Phillies but not on a 2 year deal.
He was hitting 0.310 with a 0.359 OBP. Very respectable numbers. I’m surprised no one’s picked him up.
Which unproductive hero did the Phillies keep? Howard was productive prior to his extension, as was Utley, Rollins, Hamels and Lidge.
The Phillies also let Pat Burrell go as a free agent after the World Series in 08.
08?
Seriously? The Phillies won the World Series in 2008. Pat Burrell was a big part of the team. He was a free agent after the 2008 season ended. They allowed him to walk as a free agent after that season. I get it’s one guy, and the trend has been to lock up guys long term. But not every guy. That’s all.
And they let Cliff Lee go after 2009, and Ryan Madson after 2011, Victorino, Pence and Blanton in 2012.
Wow the Phillies sighn him….. That’s a long shot man the Phills are getting younger
He was not even given a chance to be productive this season. He never saw the roster this season due to injuries. He should of been given a chance to produce and he was not. He can play in the OF, was one of the best PH in the bigs last season and obviously can play first. They should of dropped Maxwell down who’s numbers have steadily declined since his hot start.
Who fills in for him????
The Giants will keep their 25 guys without adding Ishikawa to the team because they DON’T have an opening for him.
Thanks for the homer.
Totally. They should have added him to the team though. I realize they didn’t have a “real” opening, but I would’ve DFA’ed Justin Maxwell instead.
The thing is Maxwell is actually an outfielder, no offense to Ishikawa.
Agree no offense to Ish but he was a liability in LF. Aoki, Pagan and Blanco already bat lefty; Maxwell righty w/Pence so need that balance offensively also.
The biggest problem is that the Giants are carrying 13 pitchers – 8 relievers – which is absurd, because the 8th reliever is never a good pitcher. I really hope the next CBA includes expanded rosters with a limit on pitchers, because 4-man benches make baseball really boring.
Well the 8th is Hunter Strickland who is actually a good pitcher, plus all their relievers minus Lopez have pitched 20 innings or more so far with Machi and Kontos leading the national league and Affeldt hasn’t been the same so far this year. The Giants can’t survive a 162 game season using the bullpen the way they have been. They need that 8th man.
I disagree. I don’t see any reason why a team needs 8 relievers. Especially when one of them (Petit) can go multiple innings. I think the huge bullpens are what makes baseball slow and boring.
I’d gladly take Petit off of your hands. Wish the Mets would trade Herrera or Murphy for a guy like him.
He didn’t say he didn’t want Petit, and why would the Mets want Petit? Hes basically Dillon Gee but slightly better.
Strickland is supposed to be a good pitcher. His inconsistent performance last year does not warrant calling him a good pitcher, I hope that he does figure things out at the big league level though.
They’re playing 17 games over 16 days. Extra reliever isn’t crazy given the circumstances.
Yeah, I get that. I really wish MLB would expand rosters, though. It’s not like 25 is some sacred number (it’s only been the norm since the late 80s.)
I think some of the owners consider 25 the max in regards to their wallets. To a lot of small market teams expanding the roster, to say 27, would add a little to much to the payroll.
The owners are making monwy hand over fist right now. Adding two roster spots add about a million bucks, plus the per diems. Seems affordable. But certainly they’re going to push back against it.
Pretty tough call but I would say Maxwell’s speed and defense gives him the edge.
Disagree, Maxwell’s defense in the outfield has been incredible. I think he was a +7 in defensive runs saved while he was filling in for Pence.
Could not agree more
Angels should make a run at him
Cant be any worse than Matt Joyce!
I hope he sticks with Giants and accepts the minor league assignment. It’s unfortunate, for Ishikawa that the two positions he plays are pretty deep. Outfield as mentioned previously there is Maxwell that can play right & left, younger and has better tools (better arm, flatter quick swing which will makes him better chance to hit the ball, better speed and he matches pretty well with Ishikawa on power -if not a slight tad better). At first base they have Belt (who is smoking the ball), Posey “on days off for Belt” and if needed Arias. All this with Bochy (and most fans) wanting to see more of Susac (the backup catcher). Either way, the Giants are in a good position right now where most of their players in the infield (including their backups) and in the farm being home grown. I just hope that our farm system also includes good future starting (Heston is pretty good) and relieve pitching.
Carlos_Baseball22
that is true, it hurts his cause but I do not think he gets enough credit for his ability to PH. He was one of the best in the league last year.
Ish got his ring and nobody can take that walk off, plant the Cards, raise the pennant, go to the WS moment – we should all be so lucky and nothing lasts forever… Just ask Morse who is sucking wind in Mi-am-mah.
If Travis accepts the aaa assignment he gets to keep the 1.1m salary.
Travis was a good fill in back up 1st baseman who learned left field due to injury problems with outfielders last year & Travis is a good bat off the bench & in spot starts. His heroics clinching the pennant last year was incredible but welcome to the business of BaseBall. Hoping he accepts the minor league assignment & his salary at $1.1 million is more than most of us will earn in a decade which is fair compensation.