In February 2021, the Farhan Zaidi did something he had never done before: he signed a player to the Giants for more than two years when he inked infielder Tommy La Stella to a three-year deal. It was a big deal for a few reasons: it was the longest contract Zaidi had issued to a player so far, it bolstered the Giants infield depth, and it ensured that for three more seasons, one of the most bizarre streaks in Bay Area sports would continue. La Stella may be on the injured list now, but when he makes his 2022 debut for the Giants, it will mark 34 straight years that a former Oakland Athletic suited up for the Orange and Black.
For a team that the Giants rarely do business with (two trades since 1990), the Giants sure love doing business with players who played for the A’s. Since this streak started in 1988, 37 players have suited up for the Giants after appearing in a game for the A’s. Some of those players did well. A lot of them did not. A few collected rings after failing to do so in Oakland. One of them was Barry Zito.
Has this always been a secret strategy for the Giants? Probably not. The streak is more a product of the A’s penchant for constantly casting its players to the four winds. A lot of good baseball players have been cast into that wind, and some of them were bound to blow over onto the Giants front lawn for them to use to win baseball games.
With both teams meeting Tuesday night at Oracle Park to reignite the Bay Bridge Series rivalry, it seems like as good a time as any to highlight the players who help make this insane streak possible.
Former A’s on the Giants year-by-year. Years spent on the A’s in parenthesis.
1988
Phil Garner (1973-76)
Lary Sorensen (1984)
Rusty Tillman (1986)
These three never made much of an impact for the Giants, playing a combined 31 games in the 1988 season.
1989
Bill Bathe (1986)
Ed Jurak (1988)
1990
Bill Bathe (1986)
Rick Rodriguez (1986-87)
1991
Darren Lewis (1990)
Willie McGee (1990)
Lewis played one season for the A’s before being traded to the Giants for Ernest Riles, who you may remember was the guy who hit the Giants 10,000th home run. During his five seasons with the club, Lewis was the Giants primary leadoff hitter, won a gold glove in 1994, and hit a respectable .249/.318/.320. The two teams have not made a player-for-player trade since.
1992
Darren Lewis (1990)
1993
Darren Lewis (1990)
Scott Sanderson (1990)
1994
Darren Lewis (1990)
1995
Darren Lewis (1990)
1996
Stan Javier (1986-90, 94-95)
Javier hit .282/.360/.378 across four seasons for the Giants, helping them win the NL West in 1997.
1997
Stan Javier (1986-90, 94-95)
John Johnstone (1997)
Johnstone was signed by the Giants in December of 1996, claimed off waivers by the A’s on Aug. 7, 1997, released by the A’s on the Aug. 31, and re-signed with the Giants the next day.
1998
Stan Javier (1986-90, 94-95)
John Johnstone (1997)
Brent Mayne (1997)
1999
Stan Javier (1986-90, 94-95)
John Johnstone (1997)
Brent Mayne (1997)
Mayne appeared in 211 games as the Giants catcher across two seasons, hitting .288 in that span. In 1999 he hit .301/.389/.419.
2000
John Johnstone (1997)
2001
Tim Worrell (1998-99)
Worrell was a decent option out of the bullpen, giving the Giants a 3.25 ERA across four seasons. His most significant year came in 2003, when he was forced into the closer's role at the start of the season when Robb Nen’s shoulder imploded. He notched 38 saves for a Giants team that went wire to wire in winning the NL West.
2002
Jay Witasick (1996-98)
Tim Worrell (1998-99, 2005-07)
Witasick actually ended up rejoining the A’s from 2005-2007, so he eventually tracked back to the Coliseum after his brief stint in San Francisco.
2003
Ray Durham (2002)
Tim Worrell (1998-99)
Durham was the Giants Opening Day lead-off hitter in 2003. He was their Opening Day cleanup hitter in 2007 on a team that still employed Barry Bonds. Fewer people than you would expect pointed out how ridiculous that was at the time.
2004
Ray Durham (2002)
Tim Worrell (1998-99)
2005
Ray Durham (2002)
Tim Worrell (1998-99)
2006
Ray Durham (2002)
Tim Worrell (1998-99)
2007
Ray Durham (2002)
Barry Zito (2000-2006, 2015)
If there is anyone who could truly rock the infamous split cap, it is Zito, perhaps the face of the Bay Bridge Series rivalry. After compiling 102 wins and a 3.58 ERA in eight seasons with the A’s, Zito signed a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Giants. The numbers say Zito was not great with the Giants (63-80, 4.62 ERA in seven seasons) but Giants fans will call his signing a win purely for his performance in Game 5 of the 2012 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Game 1 of the World Series against the Tigers a week later.
2008
Keiichi Yabu (2005)
Barry Zito (2000-2006, 2015)
2009
Barry Zito (2000-2006, 2015)
2010
Santiago Casilla (2004-09, 2017-18)
Jose Guillen (2003)
Barry Zito (2000-2006, 2015)
After compiling a 5.11 ERA across six seasons for the A’s as Jairo Garcia, Casilla came to the Giants and was a key fixture in the Core 4 bullpen that helped the Giants win three rings. He would finish his career with the A’s in 2017-18. Jose Guillen was held off the 2010 Giants postseason roster when it was discovered that he had HGH mailed to his house. The Giants were forced to put Cody Ross on the postseason roster instead.
2011
Orlando Cabrera (2009)
Santiago Casilla (2004-09, 2017-18)
Miguel Tejada (1997-2003)
Barry Zito (2000-2006, 2015)
Tejada was signed to replace Juan Uribe in the Giants lineup in 2011. He got the walk-off hit on opening night, but it was downhill from there. He was unceremoniously designated for assignment later in the season after hitting .239 in 91 miserable games as a Giant.
2012
Marco Scutaro (2004-2007)
Barry Zito (2000-2006, 2015)
No one really paid much attention to the Scutaro trade when it happened. The Dodgers had just acquired Hanley Ramirez from the Marlins, and Hunter Pence would join the Giants a few days later. But Scutaro went on a tear for the Giants after the got him from the Rockies before the 2012 trade deadline, hitting .362/.385/.473 in 61 games down the stretch, winning the NLCS MVP after surviving a vicious takeout slide from Matt Holiday, and capping the run off by getting the World Series winning hit in Game 4 against the Tigers. Scutaro was an All-Star in 2013, but back issues stemming from the Holiday slide ended his career in 2014.
2013
Barry Zito (2000-2006, 2015)
Marco Scutaro (2004-2007)
Chad Gaudin (2006-08, 10)
Guillermo Moscoso (2011)
2014
Brandon Hicks (2012)
Tim Hudson (1999-2004)
Marco Scutaro (2004-2007)
Remember that time when 75% of the Giants infield was named Brandon? Yeah, that was kinda cool. Hudson was the second member of the A’s Big 3 Rotation of the 2000’s to join the Giants and win a World Series title. Mark Mulder missed out.
2015
Tim Hudson (1999-2004)
2016
Grant Green (2013)
Vin Mazzaro (2009-10)
Jeff Samardzija (2014)
The Giants expected Samardzija to be a middle of the rotation innings eater when they signed him, and when healthy, he was. Was he an effective innings eater? Not always. Once he got past the first inning he was all right. But Shark was a total professional throughout it and did whatever the team asked of him.
2017
Jeff Samardzija (2014)
2018
Jeff Samardzija (2014)
2019
Fernando Abad (2014-15)
Drew Pomeranz (2014-15)
Jeff Samardzjia (2014)
Pat Venditte (2015)
Stephen Vogt (2013-17, 2022)
Pomeranz was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Maurico Dubón. It is a deal that is looking less and less like a win for the Giants every time Dubón steps in the batter’s box. Venditte is most well known for being the ambidextrous pitcher who would change throwing hands each batter.
2020
Trevor Cahill (2009-11, 2018)
Jeff Samardzjia (2014)
Andrew Triggs (2016-18)
2021
Tommy La Stella (2020)
Skye Bolt (2019)
Scott Kazmir (2014-15)
2022
Tommy La Stella (2020)
