Lopez might be a good fit in San Francisco.
The last time the San Francisco Giants plucked a Tampa Bay Rays player off the waiver wire, it worked wonders. Can they catch lightning in a bottle again?According to a tweet from the Tampa Tribune, the Rays have designated infielder Felipe Lopez for assignment.
I think the San Francisco Giants should make a run at him.
The Rays had signed Lopez to a minor league deal in February, and his contract was purchased on April 3rd when Evan Longoria hit the DL. Now, Longoria's back and Lopez is the odd man out.
Lopez hit just .222/.263/.347 in 76 plate appearances, which still currently ranks better than three San Francisco Giants regulars (Miguel Tejada, Aubrey Huff, Cody Ross), a couple of reserves (Eli Whiteside, Emmanuel Burriss) and the promising rookie Brandon Belt.
Just two years ago, Lopez hit .310/.383/.427 (0.810 OPS) with 9 HR, 57 RBI and 88 runs scored in 680 plate appearances between Arizona and Milwaukee.
His best season was in 2005, when he made the All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger award and batted .291 with 23 HR and 85 RBI for the Cincinnati Reds.
When the Giants plucked Pat Burrell off the waiver wire last season, it was a similar situation. Burrell had frustrated the Rays' front office brass by hitting just .202/.292/.333. They dumped him. The Giants scooped him up. After a week in Fresno, he was called up to San Francisco. The rest is history.
The 30-year-old Lopez has been used all over the infield in his 11 big league seasons and would immediately improve the left side of the Giants infield. He has a career .960 fielding percentage at shortstop and .935 at third base.
Lopez would certainly be an upgrade over Tejada, 36, who is struggling both on the field (.954 fielding percentage at shortstop and .800 at third base) and at the plate (.211/.245/.295, 1 HR, 9 RBI in 102 PA).
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