Catcher Logan Porter has triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Giants, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC-2. San Francisco has 48 hours to either add Porter to its 40-man roster or trade him to another team that will do so. He’ll become a free agent if neither happens.
Porter, 29, made his big league debut with the Royals in 2023 but appeared in only 11 games and took 38 plate appearances. He hit .194/.323/.324 in that brief cup of coffee. He became a free agent at season’s end, and Kansas City re-signed him to a minor league deal over the winter. However, he was traded to the Giants earlier this season in exchange for cash or a player to be named later.
While Porter’s small-sample numbers in the bigs last year aren’t going to turn any heads, he’s slashing a combined .293/.390/.500 in 223 plate appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for the Royals and Giants. He’s also nabbed a solid 26% of runners who’ve tried to steal against him (11-for-43). In parts of three Triple-A seasons, Porter is a .260/.373/.424 hitter with a 24.6% strikeout rate and a huge 14.6% walk rate.
The Giants don’t have a dire need for catching help in the majors, not with former first-round pick Patrick Bailey in the midst of a breakout year. Bailey debuted in 2023 and quickly established himself as perhaps the game’s premier defender behind the dish but did so while posting a tepid .233/.285/.359 batting line. This year, he’s erupted with a .283/.354/.430 slash that checks in 25% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+. That massive step forward has cemented Bailey as the franchise’s catcher of the future.
Backing up Bailey is veteran Curt Casali, who’s in his second stint with the team. The 35-year-old isn’t hitting much, just .220/.350/.260 in 61 plate appearances, so it’s at least possible the Giants could look at Porter as a potential upgrade. If not, the opt-out clause ensures that the league’s other 29 clubs will have the chance to bring him aboard. Even if no club is interested in putting Porter directly onto its 40-man roster, there’s still value in taking the opt-out and exploring opportunities. A team with a less-entrenched starting catcher or a club that’s planning to trade away some big league catching help could offer Porter a more realistic path to the big leagues on a new minor league contract.
Cubs
Smart play by the agent getting him that clause and then deciding to trigger it. Plenty of teams could use a depth catcher at this point.
Wait… Logan Porter had an opt-out clause? That’s a good agent right there.
Earning his commission for sure
He has one career homer, I guess that was “Logan’s Run”. When he wears a glove behind the plate, it is never Logan’s Web(b).
Why didnt Farhan trade him before he opted out?
I see that the Royals are loaded with catchers, however, they practically gave him away for almost nothing. He can hit for average and walks a lot. He’s going to end up on some teams roster and will demonstrate his value with the bat. The Royals should have kept him and converted him to a C/DH/1B.
Didn’t even know Giants had signed a Logan Porter. He’s better off getting away from being one of Zaid’s pawns
I fully expect Bailey’s BA to draft down to the .230 range by year end
What will you do when you’re wrong?
Twins. Then we just need to find another team to take Christian Vasquez and next year’s ten million dollar salary from us lol