San Francisco Giants bring Mark Canha home: Return to the roots

In a surprising development, the San Francisco Giants have signed the versatile player Mark Canha, who spent the first seven years of his Major League career with the Oakland Athletics. Canha will reunite in San Francisco with his first Major League manager, Bob Melvin. In exchange for Canha, who will become a free agent at the end of the season, the Detroit Tigers receive right-handed pitching prospect Eric Silva. Canha is currently in the final year of a three-year contract he signed with the New York Mets before the 2022 season. Since signing the contract, he has been traded three times: first to the Milwaukee Brewers, then in the offseason to the Detroit Tigers, and now to the Giants. Canha, who boasts an impressive OPS of .857 against left-handers, had a challenging June in which he hit just .186. However, since the All-Star break, he has shown significantly improved form with a batting average of .267 and an OPS of .794. The versatile player, who has a career batting line of .248/.348/.416, can be deployed at all three outfield positions as well as first base. He is expected to receive most of his playing time at first base for the Giants, as the team currently lacks a right-handed first baseman. Eric Silva, a fourth-round pick in 2021 from JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, California, was considered the 19th best prospect in the Giants' organization at the beginning of the season, according to Keith Law of The Athletic. The 6-foot-1 right-hander has exclusively pitched out of the bullpen for Double-A Richmond this season, recording an ERA of 4.35 and a 51:18 K:BB ratio in 41 1/3 innings. Silva stands out for his above-average movement on his slider and fastball, which can reach up to 97 mph. Originally used as a starter, he transitioned to the bullpen midway through last season.