Giants Baseball Insider

Former San Francisco Giants Outfielder Signs Deal With Los Angeles Angels

One of the San Francisco Giants former outfielders has found a new home after signing a Major League deal.

Brad Wakai

Sep 28, 2019; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Kevin Pillar (1)
Sep 28, 2019; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants center fielder Kevin Pillar (1) / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
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The San Francisco Giants didn't quite get their road stretch off to the start they wanted after getting shoutout by the Boston Red Sox 4-0 in the opener on Tuesday.

They're still looking for their offense to wake up and find themselves after they were held to just four hits on the night.

That's going to be paramount in them becoming playoff contenders like one of their franchise legends expects them to become over the course of the season.

What has been a positive for the Giants is that they have been able to stay relatively healthy throughout their lineup, avoiding some of the injuries that are plaguing teams around the league.

That wasn't the case for the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday when it was announced that Mike Trout had torn his meniscus and will miss an extended period of time.

To combat that, the Angels signed former San Francisco outfielder Kevin Pillar to a Major League deal according to Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors.

Pillar spent 2019 with the Giants after they acquired him in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Alen Hanson, Derek Law, and Juan De Paula.

He had the most prolific offensive season of his career that year when he slashed .264/.293/.442 with a career high in home runs (21) and RBI (87). He was able to use that season and cash in on a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Red Sox.

The 35-year-old spent last year with the Atlanta Braves where he developed a relationship with current Los Angeles manager Ron Washington. He started out this season with the Chicago White Sox but was designated for assignment following their signing of Tommy Pham.

He cleared waivers and elected to hit free agency, where he ultimately was able to sign with the Angels to continue his playing career.

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Brad Wakai

BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai