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The Giants completed a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon for a versatile, young utility player.
And president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has his handprints all over it.
San Francisco acquired infielder/outfielder Luke Williams from the Phillies, in exchange for minor league pitcher Will Toffey and cash considerations.
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To clear room for Williams on the roster, the Giants placed newly-signed pitcher Matthew Boyd on the 60-Day Injured List. The team also announced that outfielder Austin Dean cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento.
The 25-year-old Williams made his major league debut with the Phillies last season and had quite the memorable first career start.
Drafted by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft, Williams spent six-plus seasons in the minor leagues before his debut in 2021.
What makes this a classic Zaidi move is the fact that Williams played not one, not two ... but seven (!!!) positions last season for the Phillies.
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Williams started 11 games in center field, five at second base, three at third base and two in left field. He also made six appearances at first base, five appearances at shortstop and three in right field.
Talk about versatility.
Williams also has three MiLB options remaining, something Zaidi will almost certainly take advantage of.
It remains unclear how and when the Giants will use Williams, but what is clear is that he offers plenty of flexibility all over the field.
