Orioles infielder/outfielder Breyvic Valera is headed to the Giants in exchange for cash considerations, per an official team announcement on Saturday. Valera was designated for assignment on Friday in order to make roster space for right-hander Austin Brice, whom the Orioles claimed off of waivers from the Angels.
Valera, 26, got a longer look in the majors during his sophomore season in 2018. He was part of the multi-player trade that sent Manny Machado from Baltimore to Los Angeles last July and finished the season batting .234/.301/.266 with a triple, a stolen base, and eight RBI in 75 PA for the two teams.
While he has yet to hit his stride on a major-league level, Valera showed considerably more pop at the plate over half a season’s worth of games in Triple-A Oklahoma City and Norfolk, where he combined for a .261 average and cobbled together 27 extra-base hits and a .738 OPS. Perhaps more importantly for the depth-starved Giants, he offers a fair amount of positional versatility, having tried his glove at second base, third base, short, and right field over 25 total games in the majors.
