The Giants have acquired southpaw Ethan Small from the Brewers in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced. Milwaukee had placed him on waivers last week following the acquisitions of Joey Ortiz and DL Hall for Corbin Burnes.
Small’s designation for assignment came as a surprise, but it was expected that he would garner interest from other teams. He was selected in the first round of the 2019 draft by the Brewers and was initially regarded as one of their top pitching prospects. Although his stock has dropped in recent years, Small demonstrated promise while playing for the organization’s Triple-A affiliate in Nashville.
Transitioning to a full-time reliever role for the first time in his career, Small posted a 3.18 ERA over 51 innings in Triple-A last season. He impressively struck out 28.5% of opposing batters, but his walk rate of 11.2% raised some concerns. This likely contributed to Milwaukee’s decision to not provide him with a significant opportunity at the MLB level. Small has only made four appearances in the big leagues, two in each of the last two years.
Despite not possessing overwhelming velocity, the Mississippi State alum relies on a deceptive delivery with an unorthodox arm slot. Evaluators have praised his changeup, considering it a plus pitch.
The Giants had an available spot on their 40-man roster following the recent trade that sent Ross Stripling to the Athletics. They will use this opening to take a chance on Small, at least for the time being. San Francisco is reportedly engaged in negotiations with Jorge Soler and would need to make room on the roster if an agreement is reached. Small still has one minor league option remaining, allowing the Giants to assign him to Triple-A for the upcoming season if he maintains his place on the 40-man roster.