Giants trade Slater and cash to Reds for minor league lefty originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
The oldest giant failed to return to San Francisco from his last trip.
Outfielder Austin Slater was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday night in exchange for left-hander Alex Young, a reliever who made 24 starts for the Giants in 2022 but was signed to Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants sent an undisclosed amount to the Reds along with Slater, who is owed $4 million this season.
Slater is the last remnant of a previous regime, although he prospered when put on a squad role under Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler. He was particularly effective during the 107-win season in 2021, posting an .894 OPS against lefties and hitting four home runs, but this season has been a struggle.
Slater had elbow surgery last October and struggled most of the spring. He was just 5 of 39 years old before going to IL in May, and while production has improved since he returned, he still hasn’t hit lefties at anywhere near his previous pace. Overall, he has a .202 average and .581 OPS with just one home run. Against lefties, he is batting just .174, making him a tough choice alongside Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Conforto in the outfield corners.
The rare trades in early July signal that the Giants are ready to commit further to Luis Matos, a 22-year-old who has seen inconsistent playing time. Matos started just two games on the trip, but is now in line for additional reps. The Giants also potentially eased players off the 60-day IL, something they will have to do at least twice this month for Robbie Ray and Alex Cobb.
Drafted in 2014, Slater played in 592 games for the Giants in eight years. He was frank in his city support from San Francisco after some free agency troubles in recent years, and also served as the team’s representative to the MLBPA for several years, helping guide the Giants and MLB through the pandemic and a lockout. Slater now plays a leadership role in the MLBPA.
