Eduardo Nunez, acquired from Twins in trade, gives boost to Giants' bench

Tom Gatto

Eduardo Nunez, acquired from Twins in trade, gives boost to Giants' bench image

The Giants strengthened their bench Thursday night when they acquired All-Star utilityman Eduardo Nunez from the Twins for minor league left-hander Adalberto Mejia.

Nunez, 29, is expected to move between the infield and outfield for his new club. As Giants general manager Bobby Evans told reporters Thursday night in announcing the trade, Nunez will provide versatility, punch and speed. Nunez entered Thursday's play batting .300/.326/.444 with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs. He was leading the American League with 26 stolen bases.

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While Nunez can play all over the field, he may see most of his early action for the Giants at third base. Regular third baseman Matt Duffy is on the disabled list and his return date is uncertain. 

The Twins add a potential long-term rotation piece in the 23-year-old Mejia. He was 4-1 with a 4.20 ERA over seven starts and 40 1/3 innings for Triple-A Sacramento in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He also produced an impressive 43:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.