Giants make another trade with Mariners

Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry DiPoto have spent plenty of time on the phone lately.

For the third time in two weeks, the executives agreed to a minor trade as the Giants announced Wednesday they acquired former Mariners infielder Donovan Walton in exchange for pitching prospect Prelander Berroa.

The transaction comes after the Giants acquired infielders Mike Ford and Kevin Padlo from the Mariners in trades that only required San Francisco to send cash considerations up north to Seattle.

Walton, a right-handed hitting utility infielder, does not have a plate appearance with the Mariners this season, but went 18-for-96 over limited major league opportunities from 2019-2021. The decision to acquire Walton was mildly surprising for the Giants considering that it cost the team Berroa, a solid pitching prospect who came to San Francisco in a 2019 trade deadline deal that sent reliever Sam Dyson to the Twins.

Berroa has impressed in four starts with High-A Eugene this year, posting a 0.68 ERA in 13 1/3 innings with 16 strikeouts. Last year, Berroa was one of the most consistent starters at Low-A San Jose as he struck out 135 batters in 98 2/3 innings while fashioning a 3.56 ERA.

In 57 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma this year, Walton has a .294 average with an .878 OPS.

Padlo was acquired shortly after Ford and is 1-for-5 with the Giants this season, but is now viewed as a depth option for the major league club as he’s working on swing adjustments with Triple-A Sacramento.