Former Rays infield prospect dealt to Giants for cash considerations

After the Rays signed Ha-Seong Kim, they had to make a move to free up a roster spot on their 40-man.

They decided to part ways with Osleivis Basabe, designating the former middle infield prospect for assignment, and the Giants made a call to trade for the Venezuelan shortstop for cash considerations.

Basabe was the Rays primary starter at shortstop at the end of the 2023 season, appearing in 31 games and posting 94 plate appearances with a 66 wRC+ to show for his efforts offensively.

Unfortunately he wasn't exactly Ozzie Smith out there at short either, posting a -2 OAA mark in the small sample size with the Rays at short, but the hope for the Giants is that he can be a quality depth option while another former Ray, Willy Adames, holds down the starting job for San Francisco.

Basabe is a contact-first player in terms of offense, with very little in-game power, as he received a 30 future value grade from FanGraphs in that category.

His glove was never expected to be elite or anything, but he certainly fell short of expectations during his brief time in the majors with Tampa Bay, ultimately leading the Rays to trade for Jose Caballero and extend Taylor Walls instead of sticking with Basabe's services.

Now, he's moving to the West Coast to try to put together some more productive seasons at the Triple-A level, while he waits for a turn in the big leagues. He still has yet to put together an average offensive season at that level due to his lack of pop and an inability to draw walks at a high enough clip to make up for the lack of power.

If the Giants can rely on something from Basabe, it's a decent amount of speed. The 24-year old's sprint speed during his tenure with the Rays was quite good, coming in at the 81st percentile for all players in baseball in 2023.

If he can earn a late-season call-up, it might be as a strong pinch-runner, as the Giants make what they hope is a fun postseason push for a Wild Card spot.

Basabe was a fun player for a brief time, even hitting a grand slam with the Rays, but he never was able to put his solid bat-to-ball skills to great use. Hopefully, that changes for with the Giants and we wish him the nothing, but the best.