Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi met with reporters Thursday afternoon. Among other things, the tense situation of the team was discussed, which does not seem to be the top priority for the front office.
San Francisco designated replacement Austin Wynns for the assignment last week and left her with straight Joe Bart and Rule 5 Conscript Blake Sabol as a catcher on the 40-man squad. Despite this rather thin depth chart, Zaidi indicated the club is unlikely to add a catcher in a major league free agent deal (transmitted by Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News). The Giants’ baseball operations chief implied that Wynns has already been unclaimed on waivers, despite having the right to choose minor league free agency as a player who was completely disqualified earlier in his career.
Zaidi indicated the team hoped to bring Wynns back into the organization with a minor-league deal, although the 32-year-old will have a chance to explore other options. Even if Wynns returns, San Francisco could bring in another non-roster invitee to major league camp.
It seems they are content to go into exhibition play with only Bart and Sabol in the 40-man roster. That suggests Bart, 26, has a firm grip on the #1 job after hitting .215/.296/.364 in 291 plate appearances last season. The former runner-up overall connected on 11 homers but batted out on nearly 39% of his trips to court.
It’s also a strong vote of confidence in Sabol, who has no major league experience. The 25-year-old had spent four years in the Pirates’ system after being selected in the 7th round of the 2019 draft. The left-hander split between Pittsburgh’s top two partners last year, putting on an impressive .284/.363/.497 line on 513 combined plate appearances. That wasn’t enough for the Bucs to include him in their 40-man roster despite a very thin catch situation of their own. However, it obviously impressed the San Francisco brass when the Giants orchestrated a deal with the Reds to acquire Sabol’s Rule 5 rights.
Cincinnati, who had the fourth rule-5 draft pick, selected Sabol. They immediately dealt it to the Giants, who sent the minor league pitcher back Jake Wong. San Francisco must keep the USC product on its major league or injured list all season, or put him on waivers and return him to Pittsburgh if unclaimed. Wynn’s designation and lack of urgency to add another big league catcher suggests the front office is confident in Sabol’s ability to compete at the big league level.
There are still a few remaining free-agent catchers who could sign minor league deals. Kevin Plawecki, Robinson Chirinos, George Alfaro, Tres Barrera and Luis Torrens are candidates for a non-roster pact. This week reviews linked San Francisco to Gary Sanchez, but that seems unlikely unless the Giants pivot to make a big-league signing. As the top remaining free agent backstop, Sánchez wants a guaranteed deal somewhere.