Marcelo Mayer’s first few days with the Giants already came with a fresh round of attention, and not just because of what happened on the field.
Mayer, the former Red Sox top prospect who was dealt to San Francisco this summer, went 0-for-4 in his Giants debut on Monday. But the more eye-catching part of the story came from a column by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, which included blunt comments from Mayer and even sharper ones from his father about how things ended in Boston.
“Obviously, it didn’t go the way I wanted,” Mayer said of his Red Sox tenure, “And obviously, outside the lines, it’s a lot over there.”
Slusser also reported that Mayer and his family had told the Red Sox front office they would be “comfortable” with a trade before the deadline.
His father, Enrique Mayer, didn’t hold back.
“When I found out, I jumped 30 feet in the air,” Enrique Mayer said to Slusser. “I can’t explain how happy we are. ...
“In Boston, if you’re going well, you’re a god and if you’re struggling, they’re going to tear you apart. He didn’t come out as hot this year and the fans thought he didn’t care - that’s the most ridiculous thing to say about a major-league baseball player, people don’t know the sacrifices and work it takes just to get there.
But he got a bad rap and if you get a little bit of one in Boston, it just snowballs.”
The comments offered a clear window into one of the summer’s most surprising moves. Boston sent Mayer to the Giants in exchange for lefty reliever Erik Miller and minor league outfielder Carlos Gutierrez, a deal that caught plenty of people off guard. Miller, though, has already been productive in the majors for the Red Sox.
Mayer’s Boston stint never really found steady ground. Injuries were part of the picture, and so was offensive inconsistency. Around the time of the trade, the noise around him grew loud enough that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow went on “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI and denied “nonsense” rumors about alleged off-field issues between Mayer and Roman Anthony.
Now 23, Mayer is trying to settle in with a new team, and the talent that made him such a big name in the first place is still there. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to be very good in San Francisco.
For Boston, the trade leaves another shortstop question hanging. Franklin Arias is one possible answer, but he’s young too, and after what happened with Mayer, it’s too early to assume anything.
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