The San Francisco Giants have been active. San Francisco signed reliever-to-starter Jordan Hicks to a four-year, $44 million deal last week. On Monday, the team signed 20 international prospects, including two in MLB.com's top-50, and brought Dusty Baker back to the organization.
Tuesday's move came with little pomp or circumstance, but gives the Giants another catcher, which could matter if Joey Bart is dealt.
Per the team, San Francisco acquired utility player and catcher Cooper Hummel from the New York Mets in exchange for cash considerations.
Hummel, 29, is not exactly a surging prospect. He played 66 games for the Diamondbacks in 2022, slashing .176/.274/.307 in 201 plate appearances. He played 10 games for the Mariners in 2023, slashing .087/.192/.130 in 26 plater appearances. He has a career .264 average in seven seasons in the minors.
For those analytically-inclined, however, Hummel has a solid wRC+ (Runs Created, adjusted for factors like ballpark or era) history in the minors, with seven-straight seasons above 114.
100 is considered average, with every point above a percentage point above that average. Hummel has been well over 100 in wRC+ every season since 2017, and was the third-best in that regard for the Brewers' farm system in 2019.
His upside is in that run-creating ability, combined with his positional flexibility and defensive acumen. He can play catcher and anywhere in the outfield, and while his run creating has yet to translate to MLB, he's only played 76 games. He's a low-risk proposition.