Wednesday BP: The Duffman

On Tuesday, in a mostly meaningless spring training game taking place during much more meaningful events in the world, Matt Duffy played baseball on the same field as the San Francisco Giants.

As crazy as it sounds, it was the first time that Duffy played in a Giants game since June 19, 2016, when he started at third base for San Francisco in a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Just a few days later the Giants traded him to that very same Rays team.

It wasn’t until a spring training game between the Giants and the Texas Rangers - where Duffy signed on a minor league contract - that they finally met again.

When the Rays designated Duffy for assignment at the conclusion of the 2019 season, there were a few Giants fans who justifiably mentioned a potential reunion. And on Tuesday, Duffy admitted that the Giants contacted him over the offseason, though it doesn’t sound like talks ever got serious.

With San Francisco having relatively set starters at each infield position, the fit wasn’t ideal for Duffy to carve out a role, which seems to be the underlying reason for his turn to Texas.

Here’s what Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle had to say:

Duffy said the Giants called late in the offseason, mainly to “check in.” The conversation was brief.

The 29-year-old chose to sign with Texas on Jan. 30 for several reasons, starting with the considerable interest the Rangers showed as soon as he became a free agent.

“That was something for me that went a long way,” Duffy said. “With the (Giants’) roster construction, the turnover and a lot of uncertainty with the organization right now, I thought the picture looked a little more clear here in Texas.”

Perhaps that paints to the liberalness with which Farhan Zaidi waived and signed people last year, but it would seem most likely that Duffy just didn’t see a clear path to a roster spot.

It would have been fun, but oh well. Here’s hoping 2020 is good to the Duffman.