SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants knew they would pay a painful price in talent in order to bolster their pitching staff at the trade deadline. It turned out that their clubhouse absorbed a vicious emotional blow as well.
The club traded one of its most popular and admired players minutes before Monday’s non-waiver deadline, dealing their starting third baseman, Matt Duffy, to the Tampa Bay Rays along with two valued prospects in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Matt Moore.
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Duffy, a gritty performer who rose from a utility role to finish second in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting last year, is on the disabled list and was nearing a return from a strained Achilles tendon.