Giants cut recently acquired infielder Zack Cozart, add former Angels pitcher
Zack Cozart’s tenure with the San Francisco Giants didn’t even last a month.
The infielder acquired in a trade during the Winter Meetings with the Angels was designated for assignment on Monday to clear a roster spot for righthanded relief pitcher Jake Jewell, who was added on waivers.
The Giants took on all of the $13-plus million the Angels owed to Cozart in a December trade that brought Angels 2019 first round draft choice Will Wilson to San Francisco.
At the time of the deal, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler were cautiously optimistic Cozart may have a role with the team in 2020, but acknowledged there were concerns regarding Cozart’s health following a July shoulder surgery as the infielder was limited to just 97 at-bats with the Angels last year.
“Our plan right now is to just kind of help him in his rehab and bring him along,” Zaidi said after the trade.
Jewell has spent parts of the last two seasons in the majors with the Angels and was designated for assignment last week. In 21 career appearances, Jewell has posted a 6.99 ERA and allowed eight home runs in 28 1/3 innings.
The Giants’ decision to designate Cozart for assignment likely indicates the team wasn’t certain if
Cozart would be in a position to contribute this season. Wilson, a shortstop prospect who will also play second base in the Giants’ farm system, was the centerpiece of the trade.
As the Angels hurried to clear salary ahead of the team’s decision to sign free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon, the Giants were willing to pay the remaining salary the Angels owed Cozart in order to bring Wilson into the organization. The Giants ultimately felt $13.67 million was a fair price to pay for Wilson, who was “in the mix” when the Giants selected Hunter Bishop with the 10th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Astros punishment helps Giants
Major League Baseball handed down a severe punishment to the Houston Astros on Monday, suspending general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch for one year for their roles in a sign-stealing scandal that crossed way too many lines.
Astros owner Jim Crane immediately fired Luhnow and Hinch after the punishments were announced, but their suspensions were not the only punishments Houston received on Monday.
Aside from a $5 million fine (the maximum monetary penalty in MLB), Houston lost its first and second round draft picks in 2020 and 2021. That means the Giants will have four of the top 69 selections in the 2020 amateur draft.
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