Giants add two pitchers in roster shuffle

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants announced a flurry of moves Wednesday night that they hope will deepen their pitching staff, claiming left-hander Jose De Paula off waivers from the Padres and signing right-hander Erik Cordier.

To accommodate De Paula and Cordier on the 40-man roster, the Giants designated catcher Johnny Monell and outfielder Francisco Peguero for assignment.

De Paula, 25, owns a 29-24 record with a 3.82 ERA in 89 Minor League appearances, including 79 starts, over six Minor League seasons. He has never pitched above Double-A.

Cordier, the Royals' second-round selection in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, owns a 36-37 record with a 4.29 ERA in 166 Minor League outings. That includes 105 starts, though Cordier made 44 appearances exclusively in relief for Pittsburgh's Triple-A Indianapolis affiliate last season. The 27-year-old is joining his fourth organization.

Entering last season, MLB.com rated Peguero as the 98th-best prospect overall, while Baseball America tabbed him as the Giants' fifth-best prospect. While at Triple-A Fresno in June, Peguero incurred a concussion that forced him to miss 12 games. He divided his season between Fresno and San Francisco, batting .316 in 70 games at Triple-A and .207 (6-for-29) in 18 Major League games. The 25-year-old's biggest moment occurred in the Giants' regular-season finale, when his ninth-inning home run off San Diego closer Huston Street tied the score and led to a San Francisco victory.

Monell, 27, earned his first Major League activity in the form of a September callup by hitting .275 with 27 doubles, 20 home runs and 64 RBIs in 121 games for Fresno. As a Giant, Monell went 1-for-8 in eight games.