The Giants have agreed to a two-year minor league contract with free-agent righty Jorge Guzman, his agents at PNY Sports announced earlier this month on Instagram.
It’s rare to see two-year minor league pacts, which are typically agreed upon when it’s known that a player will miss a portion of the upcoming season. Guzman missed nearly all of the 2021 campaign with the Marlins due to elbow issues, which landed him on the 60-day IL in August. I’m told he ultimately required elbow surgery in September, from which he’s still rehabbing. An exact timetable for his return to the mound hasn’t been established, but because Guzman isn’t on the 40-man roster, he’s able to head to the team’s spring complex and work out with the training and medical staff even during the lockout.
Once viewed among the game’s Top 100 prospects over at Baseball America, Guzman was the headline prospect in the trade that sent Giancarlo Stanton from Miami to the Bronx. Prior to that deal, he was involved in another swap of note, going from Houston to New York in exchange for Brian McCann. At the time of the Stanton deal, Guzman was coming off a 2.30 ERA and an 88-to-18 K/BB ratio through 66 innings with the Yankees’ short-season Class-A affiliate. He went on to have a pair of solid seasons in the middle levels of the Miami system, including a career-high 138 2/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball in 2019.
Unfortunately, owing to elbow troubles and the canceled 2020 minor league season, Guzman has pitched just 18 total innings since that time. Those injuries eventually led to Guzman being jettisoned from the Marlins’ 40-man roster, and he elected minor league free agency after clearing outright waivers.
Health issues notwithstanding, it’s easy to see why any club would want to take what’s more or less a zero-risk flier on this type of arm. Guzman has averaged better than 96 mph in his limited big league action and can reach 101-102 mph with his heater. His slider has received above-average or better grades on scouting reports, and he only just turned 26 over the weekend. He still has just 18 total innings above the Double-A level, so beyond any necessary rehab work, the Giants may prefer to get him a look at the Triple-A level once healthy.
Good planning move. Not much cost. Possible large return on time and investment.
Still young, solid get. Has a big arm. I’m sure that Padre troll, who is obsessed with the Giants, will make an appearance and continue to embarrass his fanbase.
Understand the comment about Padre troll posing as Giants fan!!
but yes, this is an almost no brainer move for a former prospect who if he comes back from injury can help the club, if not, its no worse than any other minor league signing.
FZ seems to love this type of player, and planning for the future always a good thing.
As the article said, you dont see many of this type of 2 year minor contracts, but in this case, it makes sense.
And by the astute FZ
If FZ (and his super statistical analysis engine) signed him, he’s good for 15-20 wins in 2022.
Probably 2023 since it looks like he’s rehabbing from elbow surgery but yes
If I’m not mistaken, Guzman is now eligible for the major-league phase of whatever Rule 5 draft that MLB may have before the 2022 season begins (barring any Rule 5-related CBA changes).
May be a worthwhile Jose Soriano-type Rule 5 acquisition for one of the rebuilding clubs.
No if they wanted him that bad they would have just offered him a major league contract in the first place.
Except, harambe, they can’t because…..
Could have done that before the lockout started
That’s mostly true, Harambe. However, a team that has trouble attracting players for whatever reason may not have been able to convince Guzman to sign with them directly (e.g., Rockies) may have no other chance to acquire him except via the Rule 5.
You are now unironically trying to tell me that a player would take a minor league deal when there are major league deals on the table for him.
No, I’m telling you unironically that a rebuilding team someone like Guzman may prefer not to sign with over the Giants could use the Rule 5 to acquire that player after he’d signed with the Giants.
Not unlike how the Braves drafted John Nogowski from the Giants in the minor-league Rule 5 draft last December just weeks after Nogowski had signed a minor-league deal with the Giants.
Yeah. You are saying that Guzman would take a minor league deal when someone else is offering him a major league deal. In reality that’s not happening. Guzman might prefer to sign with the Giants over the Rockies all other things equal but they are affirmatively NOT equal in the situation you describe.
Nogowski was taken in the minor league phase of the draft. HUGE difference lol. HUGE difference.
I thought that when I guy is on the IL like that he isn’t eligible for the rule 5
No injured guys get taken all the time.
yeah but I thought if they are on the 60 day that they don’t need to be added to an active roster, therefore not eligible for the rule 5 – they would just need to be added to the big league roster when it opens and then immediately placed on the 60 day right?
There is no IL during the offseason.
yes but the roster exists, as long as roster transactions can happen, effectively no guy is immediately exposed to the rule 5 draft. I believe the giants floated a roster spot in case of a signing so if they feel like protecting the guy they should be able to stash him there ahead of the draft and then throw him on the IL as soon as it opens – unless they see more value in keeping the spot open so they don’t have to dfa or trade a guy in the happenstance of a signing
Deadline to protect players from R5 already passed. But if a team wanted him that much they would have offered him a major league deal and they would have done it BEFORE the transaction freeze.
The value in Guzman is what the Giants did with a 2yr MiLB contact. That value gets minimized greatly the moment he becomes a rule 5 claimant. The claiming team would pay Guzman an MLB salary + service time to rehab him and would THEN have to keep him on 40 man next off-season or face loosing him.
Not to say someone won’t but the way rule 5 works for injured players, probably not..
Could be a shrewd pickup for SF.
So it’s looking like 2 years of Starlin plus Jose Devers for Giancarlo.
What a gift by the Jeter/Fish for the Yankees.
JeterFish! I’m likin’ it!
I saw that as Jose Guzman and said to myself “isn’t he 60?”.
The Giants. LOL
There she is
Dude, that’s so rude. They prefer the pronoun “it.”
Smart move, grab former top prospects that are in their mid 20’s, and you’re bound to hit on a few that really needed a change of scenery. Seems like a 6’1/245lb guy that used to be a solid starting pitching prospect can shape out to be a solid reliever.
Relief pitching is the Giants deepest organizational position by far. From High-A-MLB, you’ll find guys all over the play with solid K/9 and BB/9, meaning regardless of their ERA, that they get strikeouts, and don’t walk guys. And for a pitcher, if he has strikeout stuff, there’s at least SOMETHING to work with.