The swap of Matts in 2016 will go down as one of the most controversial trades in Giants history.
Matt Duffy was beloved by the fan base and was turning into a leader in the clubhouse, one that was stunned when he was shipped to the Tampa Bay Rays for left-handed pitcher Matt Moore, supposedly the final piece for another championship run. There are some Giants who will tell you that deal had a lot to do with their awful record down the stretch, although on the field, it was to make that case.
Moore actually pitched well in September and would have gone down as a Forever Giant had the bullpen closed the door in Game 4 of the NLDS.
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SIGN UP HERE The other side of the deal didn't pan out either, though. Duffy couldn't stay healthy, and with a minor move made between the Rays and Kansas City Royals on Thursday morning, the door is closed on that entire trade, one that didn't really help either team.
Lucius Fox, a shortstop the Giants signed out of the Bahamas in 2015 for $6 million, is now on his third team:
Fox still is just 23, but he hasn't hit at the upper levels of the minors and still is waiting to crack a big league roster. The Rays sent him away without ever getting a big league appearance from the two prospects they acquired in that deal. Right-hander Michael Santos spent 2019 in the Los Angeles Angels organization, and he had a 6.47 ERA at two levels.
The Giants and Rays connected on another blockbuster two years later, and that one hasn't benefited the Rays, either. They got Christian Arroyo, Denard Span and pitchers Matt Krook and Stephen Woods in exchange for Evan Longoria, who has been worth five WAR in his two-plus seasons with the Giants.
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Arroyo ended up with the Cleveland Indians and was designated for assignment a few weeks ago. Span, now retired, was sent to the Seattle Mariners for two pitchers who have yet to make an appearance for the Rays. Krook was in Double-A last year and Woods now is a Royals minor leaguer.
It takes years to evaluate trades, especially ones involving prospects. Looking back, the Giants haven't been burned by the players they sent away in two deals with the Rays that initially received unfavorable reviews from fans.