The Giants have signed catcher Diego Cartaya to a minor league contract, according to a report from Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.
Cartaya, 23, was a consensus top-20 prospect in the game as recently as 2023. He dominated the lower levels of the minors impressively for the Dodgers during the 2022 season with a .254/.389/.503 slash line between the Single-A and High-A levels, and the Dodgers resisted trade inquiries from clubs regarding the young catcher. Cartaya’s value began to dip as he struggled at the upper levels of the minors. He hit a lackluster .189/.278/.379 in 93 games at the Double-A level in 2023, and while a repeat of the level in 2024 saw him improve he posted an anemic .208/.293/.350 in 208 plate appearances after being promoted to Triple-A. That’s a rough slash line in most offensive environments, but especially that of the Pacific Coast League.
After Cartaya’s rough 2024 season, the Dodgers initially kept him on their 40-man roster but designated him for assignment in early January. He was traded to the Twins less than a week later and found himself outrighted off of their 40-man in late April. Cartaya’s Triple-A numbers only got worse upon his arrival in St. Paul, as he slashed just .085/.217/.136 in 20 games for the Twins’ affiliate. He made his last appearance in the Minnesota organization in late June and was released last week.
That all led Cartaya to the Giants, for whom he’ll provide depth behind the plate for the time being. Gold Glover Patrick Bailey is being backed up by Andrew Knizner as things stand, and Cartaya will now join a number of non-roster catchers at the upper levels of San Francisco’s minor league system as potential depth behind that tandem. Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Logan Porter and Austin Barnes are all already in the organization. Each of those other pieces have big league experience and may be more likely to join the MLB club in the event of an injury down the stretch.
For Cartaya, who won’t turn 24 until September, the goal may be as simple as looking to get his career back on track. The catcher is still plenty young enough that there’s room for continued development, especially considering the fact that catchers often take a bit longer to develop than players at other positions. Cartaya was considered one of the game’s best prospects just a few short years ago due to his impressive upside, and the Giants will now try their hand at unlocking that upside after the Dodgers and Twins were both unsuccessful in doing so.
Ethan Salas will go down the same path.
Ethan Salas is still just 19 years old. He’s had some time in AA this season, which means he’s up against guys who are 4 or 5 years older then he is.
When Cartaya first reached AA, he was 21. He was closer to being on par with the age of that level, so his performance was more of a let down.
Also, Cartaya was known, first and foremost, for his bat. His defense developed over time, but he’s never really been seen as a great defender. Salas has gone from good to great behind the plate, so even if his bat never fully develops, he still offers greater defensive value.
It’s hard to say where Salas will end up, but being down on him when he’s basically still a kid playing against men is a little harsh.
You can’t have it both ways. You can’t taught him as being a great prospect because he’s young but then say he plays like crap because he’s young. There are plenty of 19 year olds with more talent than him. He would have benefited greatly by going to college and developing. You are vastly over stating how good at defense he is. He has regressed defensively. He can’t hit at all and is in year 3 of 5 before he needs to be added to the forty man roster. He should never have been ranked as a top 100 prospect but is stuck there because people don’t want to look stupid. Now he has major injury concerns to go with it. At least Cartaya did something to be ranked unlike Salas.
With Salas, the concern is much more about potential lingering/chronic health issues, no? Even if that leads to a different outcome, it would certainly be a different path getting there.
Man, I was excited when the Twins landed him. Hoping he was a change of scenery candidate, but he might have been even worse with us. Didn’t even know he got released. Good luck to him with SF.
Yes, SF will show that Joey Bart was no accident.
Why not? The minor leagues are filled with guys that have less upside, so why not see if the Giants can develop his potential?
Diego Cartaya? Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time
40 Ks in 59 ABs in St Paul this year. good luck, Giants.
68% K-rate – wow, that’s bad
Somebody call an optometrist
I know this remark was made in jest.
But an eye exam might not be a bad idea
Need to send Knizner down to AAA & bring up Barnes
For all the talk, Kinizner is actually a pretty good defensive catcher and can hit a little—not much, but better than many #2 catchers but, yeah, i’d like to see what Barnes has left.
Might be time to convert Cartaya into a pitcher. Dodgers did that with Kenley Jansen (originally a catcher himself) and he became a great closer.
It helps that Jansen could throw really fast. Never heard the same about Cartaya since he was originally known as a bat first prospect.
He won’t turn 24 until September? Does that mean he will turn 24 in September?
yes
That’s a relief. I thought maybe he’d figured out a way to avoid it.
Giants are having a ex-Dodger catching reunion out there.
Cartaya lost his bat after 2022. He has nothing but young age at this point he is more than a just a project – I doubt Giants will get much out of him – He need to restart and go back to A+ ball.
He was great in The Princess Bride.
You killed his father. Prepare to die!
I’d be buying lottery tickets before I traded for a catcher. They’re incredibly unpredictable. Bart was the 1/2, Davis was the 1/1, Rutschman was the 1/1.. Meanwhile, I see guys with no elite background doing a very serviceable job.