SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants’ latest acquisition has dubbed himself the “COVID replacement player.”
At least that’s the term Mike Ford and his family laughed about after learning he was headed for San Francisco.
“Whoever needs a guy for a few days,” Ford joked after arriving in the Bay Area at about 9 a.m. Saturday for his second stint filling a spot on a roster depleted by a COVID-19 outbreak.
It has been whirlwind of a week for Ford, who spent the past five days at home with family in Tampa after getting designated for assignment by the Mariners, who called him up as COVID-19 swept through their clubhouse. Ford, who went undrafted as an amateur and has been a Rule V selection as a professional, is used to moving around.
“I’ve dreamed of finding a landing spot in the big leagues, and every team you go to, you hope that’s it,” Ford said.
For now, Ford will provide the Giants a left-handed bat off the bench and depth at first base as they deal with an outbreak in their clubhouse that has infected Brandon Belt and four other players. Backup catcher Curt Casali has also been taking additional fielding drills at first base.
“He fits our offensive profile really well,” said manager Gabe Kapler, adding that Ford would be available at either corner infield spot. “Unique ability to look over the baseball and really drive it. We have a need for a left-handed bat right now.”
New guy getting in work at third base.
Ford, a LHH, primarily plays 1st but Kapler said they’re comfortable with him at 3rd too. pic.twitter.com/qsyVVAZ50x
— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) April 30, 2022
The circumstances mean Ford’s stint in San Francisco may be a brief one, but his acquisition signals a strategy shift by the Giants’ front office so far this season.
The downside of winning 107 games is that it puts you at the back of the line for waiver claims the following season. But the Giants, who scour the waiver wire as much as any team, were not to be deterred.
Instead, they have found a loophole in the rules: spending assets to acquire players that wouldn’t otherwise make it to the 30th spot on the waiver wire. They parted with cash to bring in Ford and infielder Kevin Padlo in separate transactions this week with the Mariners and acquired utility man Luke Williams in a similar deal with the Phillies late in spring training.
Thairo Estrada, who has logged every inning so far this season at second base, is only on the roster because the Giants purchased him from the Yankees after New York designated him for assignment last April. But Estrada was one of only two players acquired in such fashion all last year, whereas they have jumped the line for waiver claims three times already this season.
The Giants have shown willingness to spend resources in other ways to lure players that they value and have paid dividends.
Sam Delaplane was the other player the Giants paid cash for last season, with the understanding that he needed Tommy John surgery, from which he is still recovering. But the Giants invested the resources to add him to the roster and pay for his rehab and recovery so that, when he is ready, they have another piece of pitching depth.
The White Sox waived Luis Gonzalez rather than spend the money to keep him on the 60-day injured list, which would pay him a major-league salary, while he recovered from shoulder surgery. They tried to sneak him through waivers, but the Giants laid a claim and are reaping the benefits of a minor investment. The 26-year-old former prospect is starting in a hobbled outfield and already hit a clutch home run for the team that was willing to pay his salary as his labrum healed.
The Giants didn’t make a splash in free agency and opened the regular season with a payroll of $155 million, only $6 million higher than in 2021 and lower than the payroll in any of the five seasons preceding the 2020 pandemic. They’re using financial resources in different ways, such as to cut the line in the waiver wire or make long-term investments in players tossed aside by other teams.
