By Will Kimmey
December 15, 2003

Giants general manager Brian Sabean must have Twins counterpart Terry Ryan on speed dial. For the second time in a month, San Francisco added a big leaguer made expendable by Minnesota's surplus of young talent. On Monday, the Giants acquired Dustan Mohr for a player to be named later. On Nov. 14, they got all-star A.J. Pierzynski for three pitchers.

Mohr, 27, will fit into San Francisco's right-field mix with Jeffrey Hammonds and Michael Tucker. He hit .250/.314/.399 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 121 games this year. He has a quick, compact stroke but doesn't make enough contact or reach base enough for an outfielder with lackluster power. He's a solid defender with average speed, a right-field arm and the ability to play any outfield position. He's a .258/.319/.408 career hitter with 22 homers and 85 RBIs in 261 games. Mohr is not yet eligible for salary arbitration and made $315,000 in 2003.

Dec. 17 update: The Twins received lefthander John Thomas to complete the trade. Thomas, 22, signed for $565,000 as a 1999 second-round pick out of a California high school. The Giants quickly discovered that he needed Tommy John surgery, yet decided to keep him rather than void his contract. Thomas didn't make his pro debut until 2001, hurt his shoulder in 2002 and has pitched just 237 innings as a pro. His strong suits are his aggressive pitching nature, his command and his changeup. He gets by with an 86-89 mph fastball because he can throw it to both sides of the plate, but his curveball needs improvement. Thomas went 5-12, 3.45 in 33 games (19 starts) at high Class A San Jose in 2003. He had a 104-35 strikeout-walk ratio in 125 innings, while opponents batted .267 with six homers against him.