The Giants have claimed first baseman Yermin Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports (via Twitter). He has been optioned to Triple-A.
In a corresponding move, the Giants designated catcher Michael Papierski for assignment, per MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via Twitter). This was necessary to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old catcher made is Major League debut this season for the Giants, going hitless with one walk and four strikeouts in 10 plate appearances. The Giants acquired him this season in a trade with the Astros for utilityman Mauricio Dubon.
Mercedes will head to Triple-A for now, but it’s not impossible to see him playing a role for the Giants later this season. He’s a bit redundant with righty Darin Ruf, but the rest of the San Francisco bench leans left-handed. Mercedes crushed lefties last season to the tune of .339/.386/.523 in 70 plate appearances. He did not bring the same oomph against same-handed hurlers, however, hitting just .246/.307/.360 in 175 plate appearances against righties.
ceol.mor
With the initial success of Wynns, the move to DFA Papierski comes as no surprise.
foppert
Welcome Yermin. Giants don’t do unwritten rules. You’re good.
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
Who wouldn’t claim a Mercedes if they could?
Oh lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
Janis had the right idea
coolhandneil
Kris Kristofferson.
paddyo furnichuh
DTB…..Buy you a Chevrolet
giantsbaseball415
Time 2 thrive
Holy Cow!
Giants plucked Luis Gonzalez from the White Sox. Let’s see how the Yerminator turns out.
TonyGwynnSD19
Mercedes.LOL .Dude is a total head case. He’s got bad reputation. He announced his retirement after getting sent back to minors last year. Another 28 year old minor leaguer Zaidi Scrub
ftasports
TLR is a head case and a drunk.
Jerry Cantrell
A head case with the 2nd most managerial wins all time, 3 World Series titles and a four time manager of the year. I hope the HOF’er doesn’t tear up should he ever read your comment.
pinstripes17
The game has passed TLR by a longtime ago, get off your knees. he is an old drunk who doesn’t have the slightest clue how to manage a club in 2022.
WillieMaysHayes24
He’s better at what he does than anything you’ve done in your life, pinstripes. I love how you bash him for drinking, meanwhile I’m sure you’re no saint! People in glass houses…
Windowpane
In case you haven’t noticed, baseball is a what have you done for me lately sport. That’s why older players retire. They lose it. So do managers, apparently, if LaRussa is any indication.
Jerry Cantrell
Get off my knees? Nothing beats an internet tough guy.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Is it that hard to spell out Tony LaRussa? You sound like a tumbler kid with TRL.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Grouchy!
Dumpster Divin Theo
OMYAC! There. I summed up pwndroia’s futile 17 word rant into a 5 letter acronym. Now, any time one needs to unleash a moment of useless pique, just roll out the OMYAC. You are most welcome, chat board.
giantsphan12
@notGwynn, ha, with your super great prediction troll mind…sure. Whatever you say. Your last post stated how the Giants were going to get crushed by the Dodgers. What happened? You remember right? Oh wait, you’re not even a baseball fan…just a troll. Let me tell you then: the GIANTS SWEPT THE DODGERS.
TonyGwynnSD19
Giants fans are So Soft and sensitive. Geez, Next time, Maybe try putting on a pair of big girl panties before reading the MLBTR comments
Dumpster Divin Theo
So are you saying Giants fans are as effete as some of that classic music that Frisco is known for- Starship, Huey Lewis. “We built this city” with the angst and soft tears of Giant fans, eh? Asking for a friend.
cainer18
Jokes on you, big girl panties are super comfortable
mrnotsoniceguy
Your obsession with the Giants is as hilarious as your life lmao
ceol.mor
It’s comical. But the troll should really up his game. He relies on the “Giants LOL” line far too frequently. At least he’s putting in the effort to actually write something these days. He gets off on us commenting about his trollness, so I’m actually only feeding into his fetish right now. But, it’s not as if anyone actually takes any of his comments seriously anyway. Keep posting “LOL boy!” We’re here for you
Jean Matrac
ceol.mor:
He’s like a 2-pitch pitcher that occasionally throws a 3rd ineffectual pitch. His FB is “LOL Giants”, his secondary pitch, which he sets up with broad insults is “Giants fan are so sensitive”, which he uses often.
He does reveal just how feckless he is when he tries throwing anything else. Like “Bart is a complete bust”, and “the Giants will be lucky to win 86 games”. Those comments reveal the low baseball IQ that we all suspected from his pitiful and repetitious “LOL Giants” shtick.
You may be right though, that he’s trying, seemingly unsuccessfully, to broaden his game. But the obvious lack of originality, as well as the display of less than mediocre intelligence, is clear to most of us, and worthy only of ambivalence.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Ooh I like this, an intellectual Fangraphy comeback from tad2. Very Friscoish. Bonus points for feckless. As that TV internet game show dude would marvel if he were dispensing out treats: “Points!!!!”
gmenfan
You, my friend, would be an expert on bad reputations.
X’s_ and_O’s
Giants = rent free in Gwynn’s head… never comments on anything other than Giants news…troll
Dumpster Divin Theo
Maybe there’s a land to exile all these single note trolls, whose existence is tied to the unitary task of trolling one single other fan base, but never adding anything constructive or positive about the game, its players or the characters within. Land of 1000 trolls, who live rent free in their mama’s basement. Sounds like Dogbone the incessant Jerry Reinsdorf stole my binky. Steve Stone and Les Kasper are shills. Wah!
Franco22
It’s Len Kasper, hot dog bone !
andyhighroller
Lol hey dude for every Yaz/Wade, there’s going to be 5 or 6 Michael Reed’s/Aaron Altherr’s/Mike Gerber’s/Joey Rickard’s/etc etc etc.
However if one of those guys hit, you got a player for 5-6 years. They found Yaz at 27/28 years old, and bro won’t sniff free agency until he’s 33. It’d be $100m+ to get an OF with Yaz’s stats, and I don’t think Farhan hs spent $20m on minor league free agents since coming on with the Giants.
There’s a reason the Giants won 107 games last year yet also had more players on their roster throughout the season than anyone else in mlb history, and it’s because they’re not afraid to try out some random 26-28 year olds that juuust might be a change of scenery away from producing.
At the end of the day, why not got for these kind of guys?!??!
afsooner02
Great AAAA player….majors….not so much
Rsox
Interesting that they list him as a First Baseman in the article and not as a Catcher. I wonder what the Giants will actually use him as
Superstar Prospect Wander Javier
Team Chef
cainer18
Ha ha it funny because fat
YEP
He really isn’t that. He is a DH. He has played 4 innings as 1st. 2 innings behind the plate and 1 inning on the mound. Out of 62 games in the major. He even spent time in LF in spring training.
Dumpster Divin Theo
4 innings and was pulled from the game to spare further embarrassment after repeatedly muffing throws his way. A sad event to witness live.
Dorothy_Mantooth
Perfect place for Mercedes to put his bad season to date behind him and get back on track. SF has a way of turning these castoffs into clutch, part time performers. Let’s see if they can do it again.
While his batting average is low, he does have an .801 OPS in AAA so perhaps he’s had some bad luck with BABIP so far this year. Getting started in the PCL should give him some confidence back too.
Central Valley
How did the Giants get Luis Gonzalez? I didn’t realize he’s only a rookie, any shot at ROY?
foppert
Released from the White Sox last year as needed shoulder surgery. Claimed by Giants. Signed a minor league contract during the lockout.
Jean Matrac
foppert:
I don’t think Gonzalez was released, I think the Sox tried to get him through waivers, and the Giants claimed him. He was on the Sox 40 man roster, so they would have had to pay him the ML minimum to rehab, and were unwilling to do that.
foppert
Noted. Thanks.
Pete'sView
Correct.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Numbers game. Already had Engel, Sheets, Vaughn competing for ABs, and Basabe, Rutherford and Adolfo at Charlotte. Something had to give. Can’t hoard all the OF/DHs. Nice that Luis is thriving. The Sox got Cueto and Ethan Katz from the Giants org so a win/win for both organizations…
Jean Matrac
Gonzalez suffered a shoulder injury playing for the W Sox last season. and they didn’t want to pay him the major league minimum to rehab. They Giants claimed him, They were willing to pay him to rehab, and that.looks like a good move by FZ. But he probably doesn’t have a shot at ROY.
Pete'sView
But if Gonzalex keeps this up (he does everything well), it wouldn’t surprise me for him to finish Top 5, maybe Top 3 for ROY.
usafcop
One of McKenzie Gore or Seiya Suzuki will get it in the NL….Gonzalez will drop off a bit
The AL will be Julio Rodriguez barring a major injury….
619bird
Suzuki over Brendan Donovan? lol good one!
usafcop
Donovan will drop off as well….
AHH-Rox
Unless Gore’s last two starts, both quite bad, are the start of a trend.
usafcop
Gore or Suzuki in NL
Rodriquez in AL
Central Valley
Appreciate it
Yankee Clipper
All wrong. ROY will go to Ohtani….again.
Dumpster Divin Theo
He’s not wrong, that Clipper
doxiedevil
Hard to find a Mercedes with low mileage so cheap.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Yeah but a bunch of homeless guys were sleeping inside and had a party
Luke Strong
How did every team with higher waiver priority pass him up??? What am I missing here? This man knows how to hit and he can position at catcher. I cannot believe the Sox gave up on him like that, plus control until 2028. For real, what am I missing? I know about the stupid thing last season, but that’s a one-off and long been dealt with.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
He comes with baggage and most teams seem to be okay with a worse player who wouldn’t damage their pr
DarkSide830
“baggage”? Roberto Osuna and Jacob Nix have baggage. Who did Yermin wrong?
nrd1138
He Hit a monster home run off of a position player during garbage time…. ohhhh the humanity!!!
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Curious what did nix do? I know the whole Brady Aiken astros thing made them back out from his deal but what has he done to catch non baseball headlines ?
Holy Cow!
Tazed in a doggie door.
DarkSide830
Tresspassed in someone’s house drunk, kinda like Chad Kelly. Point being he’s a dude who had commited a crime.
TonyGwynnSD19
Yep ,He announced his retirement after he got sent down last year ..he’s total nut Job. And he Drinks like fish.
But who cares. The Giants have firmly established themselves as an irrelevant 3rd place team in the NL West.
Jean Matrac
Just because he came up as a catcher doesn’t mean he can handle a ML pitching staff. Since he’s listed as a 1B it makes me think he can’t, though I have no info whether he can or can’t.
I agree though that it’s surprising no one claimed him before the Giants turn.
TonyGwynnSD19
Nobody else picked him up because he’s a 28 year old career minor leaguer that isn’t very good and has a bad attitude
gmenfan
So, he’s you then ?
roob
Mercedes is not capable of playing any defensive position adequately. That’s why.
He’s an okay DH. Plus, he is a “unique” personality. I wish him well.
He could do okay as a DH vs. lefties and a Pinch hitter. Ruf can play the field so that could work out for the Giants.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Ruf. What a great name. Can he play fetch?
Dumpster Divin Theo
Yermin is a bit long in the tooth. Not much upside when you’re breaking in at 28. And after his streaky start, really tapered off. Unless you want to hamstring your 40 man w a 1 dimensional platoon bat- the other 1b/DH types the Sox have on their big league roster provide value by handling multiple positions- Vaughn’s athletic and has rotated multiple positions and Sheets is a needed LH bat. The Sox tried to see if he could handle C or 1B and the results just weren’t good. The Sox did right by him by keeping him on the 40 man, but the writing was on the wall when Sevy and Perez passed him on the depth chart at Charlotte and then the Sox picked up McGuire who’s been solid. Hope things work out for the Yerminator and the Giants.
DarkSide830
Shocked half of the league passed on him.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Shocked!
atakeria
Fans will love him in SF, probably give him an animal nickname haha
ukpadre
Apparently he has a bad attitude and it’s infectious, so maybe they could call him Yerpes?
mattwild1
THE YERMINATOR
ChiSoxCity
Good luck with Mercedes. He’s kind of useless as a position player. You can try him at DH, but he won’t drive in many runs as he’s strictly a base hit type hitter. That coupled with his lack of speed makes him a liability for the lineup. I wish him luck, though.
I Like Big Bunts
Thanks senior scout nobody!
ChiSoxCity
I know right? How dare I express my opinion on a message forum… and on-topic no less.
Dumpster Divin Theo
This. Not a zero sum game. Sox are already overloaded at what Yerminator offers. Good on the Giants if they stand to benefit. Don’t think the Giants were shedding tears when the Sox picked up and tried to utilize the great Conor Gillespie
I Like Big Bunts
Jackpot!
"Not" Rick Hahn
Just dont swing at 3-0 pitches!
hopper15
3-0 is the new 2-0.
JimmyForum
I only have time for a quick comment while my model girlfriend is still getting ready for the Microsoft yacht party we’re attending, but the Giants have serious issues that need to be addressed and Mercedes gets them that much closer to the World Series. This could be the pickup of the year. Behind Freddie Freeman, he’ll be best first baseman in the NL.
Pete'sView
Please invite me to the next one. Thanks.
gmenfan
You had me at yacht party.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Behind Freddie Freeman? If Yermin is at first, youd have to position someone behind him. Have you seen Yermin try to field 1b? The sole game where they did this, they removed him after 4 innings to spare him further embarrassment after he kept missing throws. That could create an excellent opportunity though for a new type of shift- multiple guys at 1b.
Play the Game
Mercedes carried the Sox for a month before he fell out of favor and struggled with the Sox. Never was going to get another shot with them meanwhile Gavin Sheets will get 200 more ABs when he’s called up later this season.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Yup. When you have Abreu, Vaughn, Sheets, Burger, where does Yerminator fit exactly? Sox tried. Gave him multiple C reps after sending him down to Charlotte. Kept him on their 40 man for a full year despite the absence of positional flexibility. Likely would have held on to him but for the claim. Hope he finds peace and success on the left coast. Again. Not a zero sum game. Thanks for Johnny Cueto and Ethan Katz!
CALgoldenBears
Why are you thanking the Giants for Ethan Katz? Didn’t he play for the Rockies system? Plus he’s 38yo. You can have the grizzled vet!
RonDarlingShouldntBeInTheHallOfFame
I could see Yermin mashing for the Giants..Good pickup by them..and I’m a Padres fan..
PutPeteinthehall
Has a bat and can catch in a pinch. Considering Bart needs more minor league time this was a great pick up. If used properly he will do well. Easy to knock a “free” player but if every player made 20m ticket prices would skyrocket. He did fall out of favor with the White Sox. However so did Chris Sale. He’s more of a head case than Yermin.
TonyGwynnSD19
Bart is DONE. Dude can’t hit big league pitching. A total bust
nrd1138
Yermin got caught up in his hoopla (admittedly by Yermin in an interview later IIRC) and now a bunch of ‘Get off my lawn’ types have an issue with it until the end times. including the dead stick in the Sox dugout currently. Is he Babe Ruth? Obviously not, but he is an exciting player when he comes to bat, and deserves another shot as he likely was not going to get one with the mummy in the Sox dugout now. I wish him well.
Franco22
Sox looking like a real team beating Astros 7-0 6/18/2022. Need to start planning all star break trades. Mendick with NO Errors is a keeper, along with Vaughn,Robert, Abreu and TA are free agents after this year. TA not playing enough games to be worth keeping for Mega Bucks other SS’s will be getting like Bogaerts, Correa, Wander Franco. Trade him for durable everyday players. Go free agency for SS. Abreu worth resigning because of DH longevity and leadership. He’s solid with no distractions.
Second half schedule favors Sox run for playoffs. They have to beat up their division and all the below .500 teams in the west. Can do no problem, if Hahn can get his act together. He has been terrible with second half deals the past 10 years. Time to kick it into gear.
Defense and Pitching has to be there.
Holy Cow!
The Sox have affordable options on TA the next couple seasons. Jerry will dictate the next big contract for Abreu to Hahn.
Franco22
mlbtraderumors.com/2021/08/2022-23-mlb-free-agents…
Dumpster Divin Theo
Is this post a demonstration of the brain on crystal meth? Aside from Abreu, erp, none of these other guys are FAs.
Franco22
The list of FA’s are on the MLB Rumors 2022-2023 list. You want it to bite you.
mlbtraderumors.com/2021/08/2022-23-mlb-free-agents…
TA and Abreu are on the list.
Jaysa
The Sox have a team option in 23 & 24 for 12.5 and 14 million. Even Jerry will pay that money. TA isn’t a free agent.
Franco22
Tell that to MLB RUMORS, it’s their list not yours.
Franco22
TA won’t have enough games played the past two years to be worthy of an option. The Sox have the option of trading him which they should do while they can get something for him of durable value.
Dumpster Divin Theo
My bad, you’re not on meth. The list is not accurate though. He’s not a unrestricted free agent till 2025. You don’t understand the way clubhouses operate or the way the Sox have built their entire Change the Game campaign around the refreshing and exciting leadership of TA if you believe otherwise. Methhead? No. Out of town stupid? Prolly perhaps. And you said Robert and Vaughn were FAs too. Why not add Eloy too while you’re pulling stuff out of your butt?
Franco22
I didn’t say Robert and Vaughn were FA’s. There’s a comma there knucklehead. It’s a blog post shortcut to point out Abreu and TA are on the list. Quit the serious analyst crap, you are anal though !
nrd1138
Great, except this Sox team has no ‘High gear’ cause they have no heart, and little motivation (at least what I have seen so far). Sure they beat the Astros once at their Stadium. However, if that is where people’s bars are at for ‘success’ for this team, I cringe. I think I heard on the Sox post game (or maybe on the local news sportscast) that the White Sox are under .500 since last years AS break. If thats true, Yeesh!
Im not sure what the Sox could trade that a wouldn’t freak out the superfans who expected this team to ‘win it all’. Hahn and company may be OK with finding potential talent out there trading for prospects, but has a track record of middling results for ‘current MLB player’ trades and making a lot of bad FA signings in the process. Hahn could have had top quality type players this offseason and it only would have cost money. NOW they NEED those players, and it will cost them prospects. Not a good way to run your Org, especially when they still have glaring holes everywhere (and a lack of heart (which one trade will not fix, unless they get rid of the mummy in the dugout as that would be a good start).
Franco22
You are correct Hahn and KW need to go. They both are only busy trying to look smooth.
sportznut1000
I dont recall ever seeing oomph spelled out before, but certainly not in a baseball article. When i first read it, i thought it was 00 mph, a typo of 100 and was trying to figure out what his pitching velocity had to do with this transaction
hopper15
Good pickup.
davemlaw
5’11” and 245 lbs. He’s Panda 2.0!
gmenfan
Panda, Jr.
NoNeckWilliams
The Giants finally found a guy who can wear the leftover Pabo Sadoval jerseys.
Jerry A Truth or Dair
Team makes a move to add some organizational depth and you’d think half the posters are convinced he was signed to start.
Poster formerly known as . . .
I guess the Giants figured they’d get the best or nothing from Mercedes.
juanpaolo
I got one….Jaey Bart!!!
Bart Harley Jarvis
Michael Papierski @forever Giant
nottinghamforest13
Hopefully the manager isn’t mean to him or he’ll retire.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Kinda like Private Pyle, Full Metal Jacket
Jack Buckley
He was a legend in Chicago, they named a hamburger after him, the Yerminator, about 5/9 230, all he does is hit, I don’t even know if he has a position other than DH
geoffb1982
This signing is why Farhan is a genius. Just wait and see