November 28, 2024

Giants make sneaky move on ex-Angel amid intriguing MLB free agency

The San Francisco Giants underwent front-office changes after a disappointing 2024 season. That group, led by President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey is looking to improve this offseason. They made a sneaky move on Tuesday that could see a big improvement at Posey’s position. The Giants signed former Angels catcher Max Stassi to a minor-league contract to kick off their free agency. Aram Leighton of Just Baseball broke the news on social media.

“Catcher Max Stassi has agreed to a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants, sources tell [Just Baseball]. Stassi underwent hip surgery in June,” Leighton posted. “Injuries and a personal matter limited him to just five rehab games the last two seasons. Posted a 2.9 fWAR in 87 games in 2021.”

Stassi has spent ten years in the major leagues, the first six with Houston before moving to the Angels mid-season in 2019. He spent the remainder of 2019 and 2020-2022 in Anaheim. In his final two seasons there, he was the primary catcher. The Giants are looking to get a healthy Stassi behind the plate for the big league team soon.

After a hip injury and a personal matter, Stassi was signed by the White Sox last offseason. He was competing for a job on the MLB roster when he re-aggravated the injury. The White Sox eventually cut him, leaving him as a free agent.

Giants must continue improvements elsewhere

Stassi can compete for the backup catcher role for the Giants. Patrick Bailey is 25 years old and won the Gold Glove last season, so he will likely not be replacing him. Curt Casali played 41 games behind the dish but is a free agent. Tom Murphy, Blake Sabol, and Logan Porter are the other catcher under contract.

The Giants got their free agency push started during the season by signing Matt Chapman. They brought the third baseman in on a one-year deal last year and he continued his fantastic career. His five-year deal led to players reaching out about playing in the Bay. One of their own is a free agent, as Blake Snell opted out of his contract after a solid year.

The Giants have not put their hat in the Juan Soto ring yet. The five teams who submitted offers included their rival Dodgers but not San Francisco. With big contracts on the books to Chapman, Jung-hoo Lee, and Logan Webb, it makes sense that they want to add around the margins.

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