Guardians Acquire Spencer Howard From Giants

Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle on X reported that the Guardians have acquired right-handed pitcher Spencer Howard from the Giants for cash considerations; as per Guardians announcement they designated righty Wes Parsons for assignment to open up 40-man spots and acquire Howard from Giants.
Howard joined the Giants on a minor league contract this season and made 10 Triple-A starts, posting an earned run average of 5.90 while posting 32.2% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate that were both strong; his 9.6% walk rate could have been reduced even more; yet, thanks to an outstanding batting average on balls in play of.406 with 66.1% strand rate in Pacific Coast League play and his 4.12 FIP which almost two runs better than his actual earned run average, Howard fared much better.
Giants acquired him at the end of May as part of their swing role rotation and utilized him for just under one month with them as an occasional starter/reliever/swing pitcher, tossing 24 innings over seven outings (two starts included) at 5.63 with his BABIP being well above average (.388) while strikeout rate dropped significantly (18.4% overall in MLB). Unfortunately, one particular outing saw six earned runs scored against him within 2 2/3 innings; thus leaving no options remaining and forcing his removal off 40 man roster roster roster roster since options had run out as soon after that outing was especially brutal (it had six earned runs scored) which forced his removal as his BABIP was likely affected by luck (.388) but also his strikeout rate plummeted further due to luck playing its hand (22.4% above average BABIP was well above average). Due to running out of options he was removed off 40 man roster due to no options being left open.
The Guardians may be intrigued by Howard’s Triple-A strikeout numbers or past status as an attractive prospect. Since being selected by Philadelphia in 2017 with their second round pick (#27 overall in Baseball America in both 2020-2021), he was considered amongst one of their premier prospects; eventually joining Texas after they traded Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy away as part of an all-team deal at 2021 deadline day.
Unfortunately, Howard has never found much success in the majors despite trying for years with various teams such as Phillies, Rangers and Giants – including an 8.92 ERA among his three stints there and an 18.7% strikeout rate, 19.9% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate. Even during recent minor league stints like 2021 with 4.83 ERA minors play with 31.7% strikeout rates which doesn’t bode well either way for future big league success.
Since Howard has run out of options, the Guards will hope he can quickly establish himself at the big league level, likely as long relief. They recently optioned struggling Triston McKenzie but still boast an effective starting five of Tanner Bibee, Ben Lively, Gavin Williams Logan Allen and Carlos Carrasco – two players lost due to Tommy John surgery as well as missing Shane Bieber due to shoulder inflammation.
If the Guards can figure out a way to keep Howard focused and on track for next season’s roster spot, this could reap long-term advantages for their club. He is out of options but is eligible for retained via arbitration for three more seasons beyond this one if his status stays intact through to November.
Parsons began his season with the Blue Jays but was designated for assignment early April and sent to Triple-A Columbus Guardians to acquire international bonus pool space. Since then he has seen action mostly as a swing role pitcher with 25 2/3 innings over 12 outings with five starts for them (his 4.21 ERA was deceptively low; however a 29.3% strikeout to walk ratio and 17.1% walk rate is indicative of such. If not for his impressive 84.66% strand rate it could have been much worse) hence his 6.06 FIP score with Columbus
The Guards now have one week to either trade Parsons or place him through waivers, since his recent performance wasn’t particularly noteworthy but his final option year may appeal to clubs suffering through injuries that need starting depth in their minor league system.