Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! I'll get going at 3pm CT, but feel free to start firing questions off ahead of time, if you are so inclined!
- Greetings! Plenty to discuss post-deadline, so let's get after it.
Jon D
- If I understand the post-deadline rules, minor leaguers can still be traded, yes? If so, I think the Red Sox need to get Trey Mancini from the D-Backs. I think this can still be done and he could (hopefully) help fill a hole at 1B that Breslow couldn't address. Thoughts?
Steve Adams
- Ran through post-deadline acquisition rules here over the weekend:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/how-to-acquire-players-after-th...Some, not all minor leaguers can be traded. Any player who's on a minor league contract that has not been selected to the majors this season is eligible. He can only be traded for cash, a PTBNL or other minor leaguers who've not had their contracts selected to a major league roster. The PTBNL cannot be someone on a 40-man roster or someone else who's been previously on a big league roster.There are some oddball exceptions. Cavan Biggio was traded last September because he'd been released from his prior major league contract (not had that contract outrighted) and signed a new minor league deal with the Giants, for instance.
- But by and large, you can cross off the idea of trading for the vast majority of players who've appeared on a major league roster or injured list all season.
- Mancini is eligible to be traded, though if the Red Sox felt he was a prominent upgrade to their first base situation, they could've already acquired him from the D-backs for a song. Arizona isn't going to give Mancini much of a look (if any look at all) -- not after acquiring Tyler Locklear to play 1B going forward.
Duffy Scliff
- Will the Royals pick up Salvy’s player option at season’s end? And should they?
Steve Adams
- It's a club option, not a player (or else it'd be Perez's call, not the team's!)Semantics aside, I expect they will. Perez is a franchise icon at this point, and while his seasonlong numbers aren't great, he's hitting .290/.339/.584 over his past 250 plate appearances. That's 48% better than league-average.
It's a $13.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout, so it's really only a net $11.5MM decision for Kansas City. I'd be surprised if they bought him out.
Jim
- If you were the A's, what off-season moves would you make with an eye toward contending in the postseason in 2026?
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Rays Claim Jesse Scholtens
The Rays announced that they have claimed right-hander Jesse Scholtens off waivers from the White Sox and sent him to Triple-A Durham. Chicago designated him for assignment yesterday. The Rays also announced that catcher Matt Thaiss, who was designated for assignment a few days ago, has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham. Scholtens effectively takes the 40-man spot recently vacated by Thaiss.
Scholtens, 31, made his major league debut in 2023 but hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since then. He underwent Tommy John surgery in February of 2024, which led to him missing that entire season. He spent a decent chunk of 2025 on the injured list as well. Once he was ready to come off the IL, the Sox optioned him to the minors.
His major league track record consists of 85 innings tossed in a swing role a couple of years ago. He made 11 starts and 15 relief appearances for the Sox with a 5.29 earned run average, 15.4% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 41.3% ground ball rate.
Since those numbers don’t jump off the page, the Rays are presumably more interested in his minor league work. From 2021 to 2023, he tossed 231 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level. Most of that was in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, as Scholtens was in the Padres’ system through the end of 2022. Over those three years, he had a 4.58 ERA but his 24.3% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate were both better than average.
He hasn’t yet been able to get back to that level. This year, he has thrown 36 minor league innings with a 5.25 ERA, 19.4% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. But as mentioned, he’s coming back from Tommy John and is perhaps still ramping up. Scholtens still has options and hasn’t yet qualified for arbitration, so he’ll give the Rays some cheap Triple-A pitching depth for now. The club has a decent track record of helping pitchers maximize their results, so perhaps they can sprinkle some of their magic dust on Scholtens in the coming years.
Thaiss, 30, was also acquired by the Rays from the White Sox. Chicago had a bit of a squeeze behind the plate and sent Thaiss to the Rays in May for minor league outfielder Dru Baker. Thaiss got into 25 games for the Rays, backing up Danny Jansen, but he slashed just .225/.304/.282 for a wRC+ of 69.
Tampa shook up their catching spot recently. They traded Jansen to the Brewers but also acquired Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia, squeezing Thaiss out of the picture. Since he’s out of options, he got pushed off the 40-man.
His offense has occasionally been intriguing since he draws so many walks but he also strikes out a lot and his defense behind the plate isn’t especially well regarded. There has been enough interest for him to bounce around the league in the past year, going from the Angels to the Cubs, White Sox and Rays in small deals, but every club declined to give him a roster spot this week.
Thaiss has a service clock between three and five years. That means he has the right to reject an outright assignment but has to forfeit his remaining salary commitments in order to do so. He is making $1MM this year, with roughly $300K still to be paid out. Understandably, he had accepted this assignment to keep collecting the rest of that money. He’ll give the Rays some non-roster catching depth for now.
If he’s not added back to the 40-man by the end of the season, he’ll have the right to elect free agency, as is the case for all players with at least three years of service who are removed from a 40-man roster during a season.
Photo courtesy of David Reginek, Imagn Images
Pirates Designate Genesis Cabrera For Assignment
The Pirates have designated left-handed reliever Genesis Cabrera for assignment, manager Don Kelly tells the team’s beat (link via Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). That’ll be the corresponding move to open a 26-man roster spot for righty Johan Oviedo, who’ll make his first major league start in nearly two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the 2023-24 offseason.
Pittsburgh signed the 28-year-old Cabrera to a major league contract back in June. He’d opened the year on a minor league deal with the Mets, was added to the roster and was subsequently designated for assignment. The Cubs signed Cabrera to a big league deal shortly thereafter, and a similar sequence played out as he was designated, became a free agent, and signed a big league deal with the Buccos.
In 28 innings this season, Cabrera has pitched to a 5.79 ERA. That includes a 4.91 earned run average in 11 innings as a Pirate. Cabrera yielded six runs on a dozen hits and a walk with seven strikeouts during his five to six weeks in Kelly’s bullpen.
The hard-throwing Cabrera has been erratic in his career, but the bottom-line results in 303 2/3 big league frames are decent. He sports a lifetime 4.06 ERA in the majors, and his 22.1% strikeout rate isn’t too far shy of league-average for a reliever. Cabrera’s 10.9% walk rate is high but not quite egregiously so. He’s typically posted above-average swinging-strike rates and slightly below-average ground-ball rates.
Cabrera will now head to either outright waivers or release waivers. Since the trade deadline has come and gone, there’s no alternative for the Bucs to explore. He’ll be made available to the league’s other 29 times in reverse order of leaguewide standings.
As for Oviedo, he’ll finally get back on a big league mound and hope to seize a rotation spot. The former Cardinals prospect had done just that prior to his injury, tossing 233 2/3 innings of 4.03 ball from 2022-23. That includes a career-high 177 2/3 innings in 2023, when he logged a respectable 4.31 ERA. Oviedo typically sits 95-97 mph with his fastball. Both his strikeout and walk rates have been a bit worse than average, but he’s been adept at dodging hard contact and keeping the ball in the yard. He ought to get a real look down the stretch, and Pittsburgh controls him for an additional two seasons via arbirtation.
Marlins Designate Jack Winkler For Assignment
The Marlins announced that infielder Jack Winkler has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man move for their previously reported claim of outfielder Joey Wiemer off waivers. It also opens an active roster spot for outfielder Derek Hill, who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
Winkler, 26, was just added to Miami’s roster at the end of May. Since then, he has been rarely used as a bench player or down in the minors on optional assignment. He has appeared in just 11 major league games and has been sent to the plate just 12 times, mostly getting put into game as a pinch runner. He has two singles and four strikeouts, giving him a career .167/.167/.167 line in that tiny sample of work.
He now heads into DFA limbo. Since the trade deadline has passed, the Marlins will have to put him on waivers in the coming days. If he garners any interest, it would naturally be based on his larger body of work in the minors.
His offense has generally been subpar but he’s been able to steal bases and bounce around the diamond. In 51 Triple-A games this year, he has a .241/.304/.379 batting line and 84 wRC+. He has stolen 17 bases without getting caught and played all four spots on the infield. He has a small amount of experience in the outfield corners in previous seasons as well.
If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Marlins as non-roster depth. He doesn’t have three years of big league experience nor a previous career outright, so he wouldn’t have the right to elect free agency.
Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images
Phillies, Lou Trivino Agree To Minor League Deal
The Phillies have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran right-handed reliever Lou Trivino, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. They’ll be the third organization of the season for the Pro Edge Sports client.
Trivino, 34 in October, has suited up for both the Dodgers and Giants in 2025. He’s pitched a combined 38 1/3 major league innings and logged a 4.42 ERA with a well below-average 15.7% strikeout rate but a strong 7% walk rate. That marks Trivino’s first big league work since the end of the 2022 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and has also had a notable shoulder injury in the two years he was off the mound.
This version of Trivino didn’t look nearly as sharp as the pre-injury iteration. His fastball, which averaged 97.3 mph at its peak and 95.6 mph in the three years leading up to his surgery, has sat at 94.7 mph thus far. Trivino’s 1.40 HR/9 is a career-high, and his opponents’ chase rate and swinging-strike rate are both considerably lower than at his best.
That said, there’s no risk in taking a minor league flier on a pitcher with a track record like that of Trivino. He made his MLB debut with 74 innings of 2.92 ERA ball for the 2018 Athletics and, from ’18-’22, picked up 52 holds and 37 saves while working to a 3.86 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate.
Philadelphia won’t really be counting on Trivino for anything. He’s a depth add after president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski & Co. made a pair of splashy deadline upgrades, signing free agent David Robertson and trading prospects Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel to pry star closer Jhoan Duran away from the Twins. Trivino could eventually work his way to the majors, but with Duran, Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks leading the way, Robertson soon to join and the return of lefty Jose Alvarado looming later this month, there are far fewer paths to the majors in Philly than there might’ve been even two to three weeks ago.
Mets Select Dom Hamel
The Mets announced today that they have selected the contract of right-hander Dom Hamel. Fellow righty Austin Warren has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster had a vacancy with righty Rico Garcia being designated for assignment yesterday.
Hamel, 26, gets called up to the big leagues for the first time and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He was picked by the Mets in the third round of the 2021 draft. As he climbed the minor league ladder, he worked as a starter and got some love from prospect evaluators. The short version of his scouting report is that he doesn’t have overpowering stuff but has a five-pitch mix that allows him to get outs against batters from either side of the plate.
For his first few professional seasons, Baseball America ranked Hamel as one of the Mets’ top 11 or 12 prospects. From 2021 to 2023, he tossed 246 innings over various levels with a 3.51 earned run average, 30.4% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. However, he hit a wall last year, with a 6.79 ERA in 27 Double-A starts. His strikeout rate fell to 21.3% while his walk rate climbed to 13.2%. That got him bumped out of BA’s top 30 coming into 2025.
He’s been in more a swing role at Triple-A this year, having started eight of his 22 appearances. In his 53 1/3 innings, he has a 4.73 ERA, not amazing but much better than last year. His 25.8% strikeout rate and 6.6% walk rate are also encouraging. At the end of June, FanGraphs ranked him as the #22 prospect in the system, noting that he should be able to serve as a decent bulk reliever.
The Mets got crushed yesterday, losing 12-4 to the Giants. Even though starter Frankie Montas was getting hit around, he was pushed through four innings. Then Warren came in and saved the bullpen by tossing four innings of relief, tossing 68 pitches in the process. Ryne Stanek came in to get the ninth but struggled badly, allowing five earned runs while only getting two outs. Catcher Luis Torrens came in to get the final out of the ninth.
Warren wasn’t going to be available for a few days, so he’s been subbed out for Hamel. If tonight’s game turns out to be a laugher, then Hamel will likely be the one tapped to soak up some innings out of the bullpen. Since this is his first big league call, he has a full slate of options and could easily be sent back to the minors when the Mets again want to bring in a fresh arm.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Twins Select Darren McCaughan
The Twins announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Darren McCaughan and placed right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson on the 15-day injured list due to an illness. No additional corresponding moves were needed, as the Twins’ 40-man roster had been sitting at 37 players following last week’s fire sale.
It’s the second big league stint of the season for McCaughan, though his surroundings this time around will be much different than they were when he was briefly summoned to the majors back in late March. He tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball for a team that then harbored postseason aspirations. He’ll now return to a club that saw its roster — the pitching staff in particular — gutted ahead of last week’s deadline.
McCaughan, 29, has pitched 72 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season and been knocked around for a 5.35 ERA. The overall results aren’t particularly pretty, though they’re skewed a bit by a pair of nine-run implosions amid an otherwise serviceable year. He’s set down 20.1% of his Triple-A opponents on strikes and walked a lower-than-average 7.6% of the batters he’s faced.
McCaughan has a long track record as an innings-eating starter in the Mariners’ system, though he only ever received 14 major league frames with Seattle. He’s since pitched in Cleveland, Miami and Minnesota. In a total of 61 1/3 big league innings, he’s struggled to a 6.02 ERA. McCaughan sits 89-90 mph with both his four-seamer and sinker. He doesn’t miss many bats and has been homer-prone throughout his time in Triple-A, but he also typically avoids walks and takes the ball every five days. McCaughan has never been on the injured list in the big leagues or in the minors.
For now, McCaughan will add some length to a Twins bullpen that traded Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Danny Coulombe, Brock Stewart and Louis Varland for a combined seven younger players last week. There are plenty of innings to go around, and with Minnesota lined up for a bullpen game today, McCaughan could be in line for multiple innings behind scheduled opener Travis Adams.
Marlins Claim Joey Wiemer
The Marlins have claimed outfielder Joey Wiemer off waivers from the Royals and optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid and the Miami Herald. He was designated for assignment by Kansas City last week.
Wiemer, 26, once ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects during his time in the Brewers system. The 2020 fourth-rounder had a huge season between Class-A and High-A in 2021 and hit well as a 23-year-old between Double-A and Triple-A in 2022.
Wiemer made his big league debut in 2023, showing off some of the power, speed and defense that made him a well-regarded prospect but also some of the red flags that troubled scouts. He popped 13 homers and swiped 11 bags in 410 plate appearances but also hit just .204/.283/.362. Nearly all of his production came against left-handed pitching. He received only 28 plate appearances the following season, and he’s since been traded to the Reds and the Royals before now landing in Miami.
It’s a small sample, but in 139 major league plate appearances, Wiemer has hit .263/.295/.481 (108 wRC+) against left-handed pitching. He’s still fanned in nearly 32% of his plate appearances versus southpaws, however, and he’s just a .169/.271/.281 hitter in 299 plate appearances versus righties. Wiemer can handle all three outfield positions and draws positive marks from both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average.
Wiemer hasn’t had much success in Triple-A this year, and it’s fairly damning that a team with outfield struggles as pronounced as those we’ve seen in Kansas City never game him a look in the majors. In 296 Triple-A plate appearances this year, he’s hitting .182/.291/.312 with nine homers and 12 steals.
This is Wiemer’s final minor league option year. He’ll need to stick on a big league roster in 2026 or else be designated for assignment (assuming, of course, he sticks on a 40-man roster until next year, which is no sure thing). He’ll give the Fish some depth in the outfield for the time being but could eventually emerge as a bench option/fourth outfielder if he can turn things around in Jacksonville between now and season’s end.
2025-26 MLB Free Agents
The following players project to become free agents after the 2025 season. The player’s 2026 age is in parentheses.
Updated 8-4-25
Catchers
Austin Barnes (36)
Victor Caratini (32)
Elias Diaz (35) – $7MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Austin Hedges (33)
Danny Jansen (31) – $12MM mutual option with a $500K buyout
Luke Maile (35)
Martin Maldonado (39)
James McCann (36)
Tom Murphy (35) – $4MM club option with a $250K buyout
Tomas Nido (32)
Salvador Perez (36) – $13.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout
J.T. Realmuto (35)
Gary Sanchez (33)
Jacob Stallings (36)
Christian Vazquez (35)
First Basemen
Pete Alonso (31) – can opt out of remaining one year and $24MM
Luis Arraez (29)
Josh Bell (33)
Yandy Diaz (34) – $12MM club option (no buyout)
Wilmer Flores (34)
Ty France (31)
Paul Goldschmidt (38)
Rhys Hoskins (33) – $18MM mutual option with a $4MM buyout
Josh Naylor (29)
Ryan O’Hearn (32)
Salvador Perez (36) – $13.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Carlos Santana (40)
Dominic Smith (31)
Donovan Solano (38)
Rowdy Tellez (31)
Justin Turner (41) – $10MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
LaMonte Wade Jr. (32)
Second Basemen
Ozzie Albies (29) – $7MM club option with a $4MM buyout
Cavan Biggio (31)
Kyle Farmer (34) – $4MM mutual option with a $750K buyout
Adam Frazier (34)
Jose Iglesias (36)
Nicky Lopez (31)
Brandon Lowe (31) – $11.5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Jorge Mateo (31)
Jorge Polanco (32) – $8MM mutual option with a $750K buyout (converts to a $6MM player option at 450 plate appearances)
Luis Rengifo (29)
Brendan Rodgers (29)
Amed Rosario (30)
Gleyber Torres (29)
Shortstops
Tim Anderson (33)
Orlando Arcia (31) – $2MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Bo Bichette (28)
Willi Castro (29)
Ha-Seong Kim (30) – can opt out of remaining one year and $16MM
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31)
Dylan Moore (33)
Kevin Newman (32) – $2.5MM club option with a $250K buyout
Miguel Rojas (37)
Trevor Story (33) – can opt out of remaining two years and $55MM
Third Basemen
Jon Berti (36)
Alex Bregman (32) – can opt out
Paul DeJong (32)
Enrique Hernandez (34)
Yoan Moncada (31)
Max Muncy (35) – $10MM club option
Luis Rengifo (29)
Eugenio Suarez (34)
Luis Urias (29)
Gio Urshela (34)
Ildemaro Vargas (34)
Tyler Wade (31) – $1MM club option with no buyout
Left Fielders
Miguel Andujar (31)
Mark Canha (37)
Michael Conforto (33)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (32) – $18MM player option
Austin Hays (30) – $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Tyler O’Neill (31) – can opt out of final two years, $33MM
Tommy Pham (38)
Rob Refsnyder (35)
Chris Taylor (35)
Alex Verdugo (30)
Jesse Winker (32)
Center Fielders
Harrison Bader (32) – $10MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout
Trent Grisham (29)
Garrett Hampson (31)
Travis Jankowski (35)
Manuel Margot (31)
Cedric Mullins (31)
Luis Robert Jr. (28) – $20MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Michael A. Taylor (35)
Right Fielders
Cody Bellinger (30) – $25MM player option with a $5MM buyout
Adam Frazier (34)
Randal Grichuk (34) – $5MM mutual option with a $3MM buyout
Jason Heyward (36)
Max Kepler (33)
Ramon Laureano (31) – $6.5MM club option
Starling Marte (37)
Tyler O’Neill (31) – can opt out
Hunter Renfroe (34)
Austin Slater (33)
Lane Thomas (30)
Kyle Tucker (29)
Mike Yastrzemski (35)
Designated Hitters
Mitch Garver (35) – $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Rhys Hoskins (33) – $18MM mutual option with a $4MM buyout
Andrew McCutchen (39)
Ryan O’Hearn (32)
Marcell Ozuna (35)
Joc Pederson (34) – $18.5MM player option (if Pederson opts out, Rangers can void by exercising two-year, $37MM club option)
Kyle Schwarber (33)
Justin Turner (41) – $10MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Jesse Winker (32)
Starting Pitchers
Tyler Anderson (36)
Chris Bassitt (37)
Shane Bieber (31) – $16MM player option with a $4MM buyout
Paul Blackburn (32)
JT Brubaker (32)
Walker Buehler (31) – $25MM mutual option with a $3MM buyout
Griffin Canning (30)
Carlos Carrasco (39)
Dylan Cease (30)
Aaron Civale (31)
Alex Cobb (38)
Patrick Corbin (36)
Nestor Cortes (31)
Anthony DeSclafani (36)
Zach Eflin (32)
Erick Fedde (33)
Jack Flaherty (30) – $20MM player option
Chris Flexen (31)
Zac Gallen (30)
Lucas Giolito (30) – $14MM club option (becomes $19MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout if he pitches 140 innings in 2025)
Austin Gomber (32)
Jon Gray (34)
Kyle Hart (33) – $5MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Andrew Heaney (35)
Kyle Hendricks (36)
Adrian Houser (33)
Shota Imanaga (32) – $57MM club option for 2026-28 or $15MM player option for 2026
Jakob Junis (33)
Merrill Kelly (37)
Clayton Kershaw (38)
Michael King (31) – $15MM mutual option with a $3.75MM buyout
Zack Littell (30)
Michael Lorenzen (34) – $12MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout if team declines its end
Kenta Maeda (38)
Tyler Mahle (31)
German Marquez (31)
Nick Martinez (35)
Steven Matz (35)
Dustin May (28)
John Means (33) – $6MM club option with no buyout
Miles Mikolas (37)
Wade Miley (39)
Frankie Montas (33) – can opt out of remaining one year and $17MM
Jordan Montgomery (33)
Charlie Morton (42)
Chris Paddack (30)
Freddy Peralta (30) – $8MM club option with no buyout
Martin Perez (35) – $10MM mutual option with a $1.5MM buyout
Cal Quantrill (31)
Jose Quintana (37) – $15MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Colin Rea (35) – $6MM club option with a $750K buyout
Chris Sale (37) – $18MM club option
Max Scherzer (41)
Michael Soroka (28)
Marcus Stroman (35)
Ranger Suarez (30)
Tomoyuki Sugano (36)
Jose Ureña (34)
Jose Urquidy (31) – $4MM club option
Framber Valdez (32)
Justin Verlander (43)
Brandon Woodruff (32) – $20MM mutual option with a $10MM buyout
Right-Handed Relievers
Shawn Armstrong (35)
Scott Barlow (33) – $6.5MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Ryan Brasier (38)
John Brebbia (36)
Chris Devenski (35)
Edwin Diaz (32) – $18.5MM player option
Seranthony Dominguez (31)
Pete Fairbanks (32) – $7MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Kyle Finnegan (34)
Chris Flexen (31)
Luis Garcia (39)
Kendall Graveman (35) – $5MM mutual option with a $100K buyout
Chad Green (35)
Hunter Harvey (31)
Ryan Helsley (31)
Liam Hendriks (36) – $12MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Raisel Iglesias (36)
Luke Jackson (32)
Kenley Jansen (38)
Pierce Johnson (35) – $7MM club option with a $250K buyout
Jakob Junis (33)
Tommy Kahnle (35)
Brad Keller (30)
Tyler Kinley (35) – $5MM club option with a $750K buyout
Andrew Kittredge (36) – $9MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Michael Kopech (30)
Jose Leclerc (32)
Jonathan Loaisiga (31) – $5MM club option with no buyout
Jorge Lopez (33)
Chris Martin (40)
Nick Martinez (35)
Phil Maton (33)
Shelby Miller (35)
Rafael Montero (35)
Andres Muñoz (27) – $6MM club option
Hector Neris (37)
Adam Ottavino (40)
Emilio Pagan (35)
Ryan Pressly (37)
Tanner Rainey (33)
Erasmo Ramirez (36)
Tyler Rogers (35)
Jordan Romano (33)
Joe Ross (33)
Paul Sewald (36) – $10MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Lucas Sims (32)
Drew Smith (32) – $2MM club option
Ryne Stanek (34)
Chris Stratton (35)
Hunter Strickland (37)
Robert Suarez (35) – two-year, $16MM player option for 2026-27
Erik Swanson (32)
Lou Trivino (34)
Jose Ureña (34)
Luke Weaver (32)
Devin Williams (31)
Kirby Yates (39)
Left-Handed Relievers
Scott Alexander (36)
Tyler Alexander (31)
Jose Alvarado (31) – $9MM club option with a $500K buyout
Jalen Beeks (32)
Ryan Borucki (32)
Genesis Cabrera (29)
Andrew Chafin (36)
Aroldis Chapman (38)
Danny Coulombe (36)
Caleb Ferguson (29)
Tim Hill (36) – $3MM club option with a $350K buyout
Tim Mayza (34)
T.J. McFarland (37)
Hoby Milner (35)
A.J. Minter (32) – $11MM player option
Sean Newcomb (33)
Wandy Peralta (34) – $4.45MM player option (contract also contains $4.45MM player option for 2027)
Colin Poche (32)
Drew Pomeranz (37)
Taylor Rogers (35)
Gregory Soto (31)
Matt Strahm (34) – $4.5MM club option
Brent Suter (36) – $3MM club option with a $250K buyout
Caleb Thielbar (39)
Justin Wilson (38)
Ryan Yarbrough (34)
Giants Release Austin Barnes
The Giants released veteran catcher Austin Barnes from their Triple-A affiliate, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’d signed a minor league deal with San Francisco after being designated for assignment and released by the Giants’ archrival Dodgers back in June.
Barnes, 36 in the offseason, played in parts of 11 seasons with the Dodgers but got into only 13 games this season before being cut loose. He tallied 44 plate appearances, during which he batted just .214/.233/.286. He totaled a similar 46 plate appearances with the Giants’ top affiliate after signing there and posted a .205/.326/.205 slash in that short audition. He’ll now head back to the market in search of other opportunities.
Barnes has always been more of a glove-first catcher, whose primary offensive contributions have come via his plate discipline. He’s a career .223/.322/.318 hitter who’s walked in just over 11% of his plate appearances in the majors. Barnes had a passable year at the plate in 2024 but hasn’t been an average or better hitter since 2022. Over his past 400 plate appearances in the big leagues, he’s batted .217/.283/.272 (57 wRC+).
Though he can’t be expected to return to even his modest career rate stats with the bat at this stage of his career, Barnes is a seasoned backstop who has worked with dozens of high-profile pitchers over his career — most notably, of course, Dodgers icon Clayton Kershaw. That experience, paired with his reputation as a teammate and game-caller, figures to get him a look with a team in need of some catching depth down the stretch.
