The Giants acquired outfielder Joey Wiemer from the Marlins in exchange for cash, per the team. Miami designated the former top prospect for assignment earlier in the week when setting its roster ahead of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. San Francisco designated catcher Andrew Knizner for assignment in a corresponding roster move.
Now 26 years old, Wiemer was the Brewers’ fourth-round pick in 2020. He appeared on the back end of MLB.com’s top-100 prospect list in both 2022 and 2023 but has seen his stock dwindle since that time. Milwaukee flipped him to the Reds alongside Jakob Junis in the 2024 Frankie Montas trade, and Cincinnati subsequently dealt him to Kansas City with Jonathan India in exchange for right-hander Brady Singer. The Marlins scooped him up off waivers in early August, shortly following this year’s trade deadline.
Wiemer has appeared in parts of three major league seasons between the Brewers, Reds and Marlins. He popped 13 homers and swiped 11 bags as a rookie in ’23 but did so with poor rate stats. He’s a career .205/.279/.359 hitter through 499 trips to the batter’s box in the majors. That said, he’s shown plenty of pop against lefties, albeit with still-shaky OBP skills; in 173 plate appearances versus southpaws, the righty-swinging Wiemer is a .255/.298/.484 hitter (106 wRC+).
Beyond his above-average power versus lefties, Wiemer is capable of playing all three outfield spots and doing so at a fairly high level. Even bearish scouting reports on him over the years have labeled him as a potential plus defender. Defensive metrics bear that out. Wiemer has positive marks in all three spots individually and a collective 11 Defensive Runs Saved and 7 Outs Above Average in 1249 innings of outfield work at the big league level.
Wiemer is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to stay on San Francisco’s 40-man roster all offseason and break camp with the team or else be designated for assignment once again. He can’t be sent to the minors without first passing through waivers. For now, he projects as a possible bench option who could platoon with lefty-swinging Drew Gilbert in right field — if the Giants don’t make a larger-scale addition at the position. Former top prospects Luis Matos and Marco Luciano could compete for a similar role, but both hit poorly in 2025 and have seen their once lofty prospect stock crater in recent years. Like Wiemer, both Matos and Luciano are out of minor league options, so at least two of the three figure to be roster casualties between now and Opening Day.
Knizner, 31 in February, was eligible for arbitration and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $1.3MM next year. The journeyman backstop hit .221/.299/.299 in 88 trips to the plate with the Giants this season. He’s improved upon formerly poor framing grades in recent seasons but struggles to block pitches in the dirt and control the run game. Knizner is a career .211/.281/.316 hitter in 975 plate appearances during his big league career.
The Giants can spend the next couple hours looking for a trade partner, though they’ve presumably already been doing so without success. If there’s no trade opportunity, he’ll be non-tendered prior to tonight’s 5pm ET deadline.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that the Giants were acquiring Wiemer. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported Knizner’s DFA.
Stove is lit
I’m envious.
I will take Lee, Ramos and Matos over Wiemer, thank you.
I am still envious of the stove. It is lit; I am not.
But you are candlestoked, so there’s that.
Weimer can play down in aa and work his way up then get dfa’d .. we know how this’ll go
Violence swing alert for Giant fans or those that love a meaningful attempt
low avg, sheer wind velocity on swings, but according to article he can play good defense. I guess they think they can make him do adjustments hopefully they do not lose anyone of value.
It’s a cash deal
He’s a tool shed, except he’s missing the big one: hit. Maybe their coaches can refine all that strength a bit.
If this trade occurred in 2009, Wiemer would become a World Series MVP.
At 10 years old ?
Probably not.
Still waiting for the “big” announcement
it’s only been 20 days..only big thing that happened was the Grayson Rodriguez trade, so far
Naylor signing was big news!
Posey keeping everything close to his chest. If he’s dealing with Boras don’t expect any news until Jan 2nd. Boras’ MO is to drag negotiations out until last minute
feels like a guy who might be dropped and claimed a few times this offseason
Kizner is better than any of the catchers on the Cardinals right now.
So is Knizner.
I wonder if Jesus Sanchez gets a shot at backup catcher in spring training based on the Kizner move.
Bet on it.
Backup Catcher market is bleak.
Rodriguez, not Sanchez, and yes he definitely will.
Thanks for catching that
Besides Bailey, J Rodriguez is the only catcher on the 40 man. For now.
Not a bad bench piece. Can cover all three spots on the grass and occasionally park one over the fence.
He didn’t do all that bad with the Fish, but neither good enough to stick around. Still, he deserved that roster spot in Miami more than 1-2 pitchers still in the organisation.
See this is why I think the White Sox should trade either Teel or Quero. They can get a guy like Knizner for basically free to be a decent backup at the big league level. Sell your young guy while the prospect value is still there before their value drops to that of an actual backup catcher and you lose them for cash considerations or a waiver claim.
Giants already have this guy. His name is Tyler Fitzgerald
Does seem a little crowded in the out of options outfielder sector. Luciano, Matos, Meckler. Not to mention the guy we just got from LAD, Gilbert, & Encarnacion all looking for a spot. Loading up on trade pieces , or replacements ?
Matos and Luciano as
part of some type of trade is my bold prediction. Matos some sort of semi significant piece with Luciano throw in to get it done.
Go bold.
Try this one,
Matos, Tidwell, Schmitt for
Sonny Gray & Donovan.
Dunno if you toss in Luciano on that…
If the Cards pay down Gray’s salary some, sure!
I’ve been a big proponent of this trade for sometime. Donovan can play the OF so it makes a ton of sense for the Giants. I’d prefer to trade Koss instead of Schmitt but fine like this.
Ya, I think there’s plenty of options there. Birdsong, Tidwell, McDonald
Schmitt or Koss
Luciano or Matos
Kind of a you pick em deal..
Schmitt leaves them with a significant hole ?
Seems like the cash is the biggest player in a Gray trade.
Donovan & Koss fill that.
(Don’t make me say Schmitt hole.)
Donovan. Of course. Ha ha. Forgot about him.
Very good roster and Oracle Park fit. He’s a high energy guy like Drew Gilbert, I don’t believe Wiemer and Minasian’s time in MIL crossed.
In an ideal world, SFG can help him refine his approach vs LHP where his SO% is dips below 30% and BB% is north of 5%. You combine that with his other tools THAT is a very good 4th/OF lefty masher. In a perfect world the approach improvements make him playable against RHP.
He’s got 4 tools but the 5th hit tool keeps him from establishing himself at the MLB level. Basically what you’d look for is him making some of the adjustments Casey Schmidt made in 2025. True can be said for Tyler Fitzgerald but more as a super utility guy, you can’t survive in MLB with those sort of K rates unless you have Kyle Schwaber power production.
Joey Wiemer is talented but has always been a bit of a hot dog
Absolutely nothing wrong with having a hot dog in the ballpark.
I don’t believe Luciano is out of options since he has played so little on MLB team (23/24) and did not sniff a scent in 25
Believe it.
He is.
20 days is all that matters. They’re both out of options
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Give Schmitt the same opportunity they gave Fitzgerald last year. My opinion is just that, but I think Schmitt, with a starting job from the start will surprise. Saw lots of improvements on offense and pitch selection to warrant a full time shot. But if it doesn’t pan out please don’t wait as long as they gave Fitzgerald before yanking the plug. I also, except for the rah rah energy don’t know why we would give Gilbert a platoon in RF. He didn’t show much with the bat. Don’t get me wrong because I think he definitely has a nice career ahead of him with the Giants. Just not sure he should be a part time starter yet. I also think Luciano is part of a trade package of some sort befor ST starts. If Weimer is as solid on defense as we hear, spring training is his opportunity. I still like Matos too. It will be a really competitive spring training which most organizations like.
Hi mab-I agree on Casey, he’s got a rocket of an arm and could be a gold glover if given the opportunity. He stopped swinging at low and away sliders and is being more selective, he can hit gap to gap and has some pop, I’d love for him to get a solid run. I would hate to see him go in a trade, would make me sick to see him flourish elsewhere.
Lucia’s injuries and uneven development has led to this point, it’s too bad but he does deserve a chance elsewhere. I like Matos but he makes some head scratching defensive mistakes that he can’t seem to clean up but maybe with better coaching he can.
Hi agnes. It always concerns me when a former Giant ends up fluorishing with a different team. But I realize sometimes that happens due to a trade. I really want Schmitt to get somewhat of chance and I think he will. If he pans out then the Giants can save money to use on pitching. I have always liked Matos’ swing but 100% agree with you on his defensive lapses. Same with Ramos. Thanks for the reply.