Source: Giants acquire Matt Moore from Rays

The NL West is in an arms race. 

Between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, so many pitchers have gone out west this trade season it's been hard to count. Right before the trade deadline on Monday, another pitcher went out there. 

The Giants have acquired left-hander Matt Moore from the Tampa Bay Rays, a source confirmed to Cover Those Bases on Monday. Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the trade. 

In exchange for Moore, the Rays got third baseman Matt Duffy as well as two minor league prospects: shortstop Lucius Fox and right-hander Michael Santos. 

The Giants have been in the market for starting pitching depth for awhile now. The back end of their rotation, specifically Matt Cain and Jake Peavy, has underperformed, leading San Francisco to look for someone outside the organization. 

Moore, 27, is just that. He's 7-7 this season with a 4.08 ERA and a 109-40 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 130 innings pitched this season for the Rays. This is his first full season since having to have Tommy John surgery in 2014. 

While Moore's stats do not pop off the page, he has plenty of pluses to his profile that made him appealing for many teams. 

Moore's contract status is great for a team. He has team options for the next three seasons valued at $7 million, $9 million and $10 million, respectively. This is much less than what he would likely receive on the open market, especially considering his age. 

This is why San Francisco had to give so much up. 

​One player, Matt Duffy, 25, is a great buy-low candidate for Tampa Bay. 

Not a free agent until after the 2020 season, Duffy is hitting for a below-average .253/.313/.358 line with four home runs and 21 RBI over 286 plate appearances this season. He also spent time on the disabled list. 

But just last year, Duffy had a .762 OPS over 612 plate appearances, while also being a great defensive third baseman. He could be good in Tampa Bay at second base, as Evan Longoria is currently manning the hot corner there. 

As for Fox and Santos, they both are still far away from the Major Leagues. Fox was a highly regarded international prospect who could turn it around in the Rays' system going forward. 

​--Devan Fink

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