The Giants’ More Appealing Expensive Trade Candidate
Above only the Rockies in the National League, the Giants are seemingly beginning preparation to sell at the deadline. The early focus has been on impending free agents Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray — as well as the team’s openness to shedding the Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman contracts.
Those are all self-explanatory. Arraez is an obvious trade chip if they’re not going to sign him to an extension. They can pay down a portion of Ray’s $25MM salary to get a mid-tier prospect back for him. The other three contracts are above market value, especially the Adames and Devers deals. They’re not going to offload those entire contracts. Are they motivated enough that they’d pay down half the money to find a trade partner for Adames or Devers? Chapman’s deal isn’t as unfavorable but is also complicated by his full no-trade clause; he told Evan Webeck of The California Post last night that he hasn’t given the no-trade clause any thought because he hasn’t heard anything from president of baseball operations Buster Posey.
Adames, Devers and Chapman have three of San Francisco’s five significant long-term contracts. The team’s early messaging is that they’re not looking to move ace Logan Webb. There hasn’t been much speculation about Jung Hoo Lee, whom they could more easily replace than Webb but whose contract would be less onerous than those of their other three expensive hitters.
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Giants Place Tyler Mahle On Injured List
The Giants announced they’ve placed starter Tyler Mahle on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. The placement, which is retroactive to May 27, opens a spot on the pitching staff for Logan Webb. He returns from the IL to start tonight’s game at Coors Field. San Francisco also activated Jung Hoo Lee from the 10-day IL after optioning fellow outfielder Will Brennan to Triple-A Sacramento last night.
Mahle has had a frustrating year as a $10MM free agent signee. He only has one quality start in his first 11 outings. Mahle has allowed more than six earned runs per nine and has been hit hard in each of his last four times out. He’s striking hitters out at a decent 23% clip, but that belies a modest 8% swinging strike rate. The righty has also given up 11 home runs, a top 10 mark in the National League.
It’s unclear how long Mahle will be sidelined. The injury defers what might’ve been a decision for skipper Tony Vitello on how to handle the starting five. Trevor McDonald has pitched well at the back of the rotation, meaning Mahle and fellow offseason pickup Adrian Houser seemed the better candidates to drop their rotation spot once Webb made it back to the mound.
Webb missed just under three weeks with bursitis in his right knee. Lee, meanwhile, had a minimal stay due to a back strain. He’s in right field tonight against Colorado righty Michael Lorenzen. Rookie outfielder Victor Bericoto was called up when Lee went on the shelf. He’ll stick on the big league roster as a righty-hitting bench bat while the left-handed Brennan goes back to the minors.
Giants Select Victor Bericoto
7:12pm: Lee indeed lands on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 19, with a mid-back strain. Will Brennan has drawn the past couple starts in right field and could get the bulk of the playing time while Lee is unavailable.
11:43am: The Giants will select the contract of outfielder Victor Bericoto from Triple-A Sacramento today, as first reported by journalist Manolo Hernández Douen. San Francisco already has an open 40-man spot. Corresponding moves aren’t yet clear, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle suggests that Jung Hoo Lee could need to miss a few more games or perhaps even head to the injured list. He’s been day-to-day with a back issue recently.
It’s the first call to the majors for the 24-year-old Bericoto. He’s generally not considered to be among the organization’s top 30 prospects, but he’s enjoying a nice start to his season with the River Cats. In 186 plate appearances, the righty-swinging outfielder has slashed .299/.355/.449 with six homers. He’s walked at a slightly below-average 8.1% clip, but his current 18.8% strikeout rate would be a career-low mark over a full season.
Bericoto has played all three outfield spots and first base in his professional career. He’s spent the bulk of his time in right field and at first base, however, and hasn’t appeared in center field since 2024, when he logged only six games there. In January 2025, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen wrote that Bericoto has plus power but contact skills that were “toward the very bottom of the acceptable range.” He’s made some modest gains in that regard. His 73.5% overall contact rate is still below the major league average (76.8%), but he’s connected on 85.5% of the swings he takes on pitches within the zone, which is right in line with MLB average.
Giants Place Harrison Bader, Jared Oliva On Injured List
The Giants have placed outfielders Harrison Bader and Jared Oliva on the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement. The former is dealing with a hamstring strain, while the latter was diagnosed with a hamate fracture, likely pointing to a somewhat notable absence. Bader’s IL placement is retroactive to April 12. Fellow outfielders Will Brennan and Drew Gilbert have been recalled from Triple-A in their place.
Bader, 31, has gotten out to a dismal start in his new environs. Signed to a two-year, $20.5MM contract in free agency, he’s started his Giants tenure with a .115/.145/.192 batting line and a glaring 30.9% strikeout rate in 55 turns at the plate. The longtime defensive standout had one of his best seasons at the plate in 2025, slashing a combined .277/.347/.449 with a career-best 17 homers in 501 plate appearances between Minnesota and Philadelphia.
It’s obviously a bit early to sound the alarm, but it’s a brutal stretch of 15 games for Bader, who hasn’t experienced strikeout troubles of this magnitude since 2018 with the Cardinals. Bader’s chase rate on balls off the plate is up six percentage points this year, while his contact rate on balls within the strike zone is down more than three percentage points. He’s been extremely aggressive early in his plate appearances and has too often found himself behind in the count as a result.
The Giants haven’t provided a firm timetable, but Bader will be down for the next week-plus at the very least. If it’s a lengthy enough stay on the IL, he could require a minor league rehab stint. For the time being, San Francisco can either slide Jung Hoo Lee back to center field or give some of that workload to Gilbert and Brennan. Lee hasn’t graded out well in his time as a center fielder in the majors — which was surely part of the Giants’ motivation in signing Bader, who perennially ranks as one of the game’s top outfield defenders. Gilbert has played all three outfield slots in Triple-A this season, spending the bulk of his time in center. Brennan has played the corners only in 2026 but has nearly 1800 professional innings in center.
As for the 30-year-old Oliva, this is his first big league action since 2021 with the Pirates. He’s appeared in seven games but been primarily a defensive replacement and pinch-runner. He’s had seven at-bats and tallied one single in that time.
Oliva impressed the Giants with plus speed and outfield range in camp this spring. In 20 games/46 plate appearances, he swiped a ludicrous 14 bags while also turning in a robust .375/.444/.550 batting line. That was more than enough for Oliva to earn a spot on the roster, even pushing out-of-options former top prospect Luis Matos out the door in the process.
Hamate fractures typically require surgery and come with a recovery period between four and eight weeks. Every instance is different, of course, but that general framework is at least worth noting. It’s doubtful Oliva will be back any earlier than mid-May, and his absence could push into early-to-mid June. Assuming Bader returns to the fold before Oliva, Gilbert stands as a natural option to fill the backup outfield role that Oliva has held throughout the season.
Giants Notes: Lee, Matos, Rotation, Closer
The Giants officially announced their two-year deal with Harrison Bader on Friday afternoon. President of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian conducted a conference call with the beat to introduce their new outfielder.
Posey confirmed that Bader will be the everyday center fielder, a move that pushes Jung Hoo Lee into right field on most days (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). It doesn’t appear the incumbent center fielder had any issue with the change. “Jung Hoo was great,” Posey said of his reaction to the signing. “Also there’s an understanding on our end and to Jung Hoo that there’s a chance that he could still be getting reps in center field. But our plan is to have Bader playing center field.”
Lee had a decent amount of right field experience in Korea. He has played exclusively up the middle over his two seasons in the majors. Lee’s physical tools are strong. He’s an above-average runner with plus arm strength. His first step and routes weren’t as polished, and defensive metrics weren’t fond of his overall work. Statcast graded him five runs below average, while Defensive Runs Saved had him a glaring 18 runs worse than an average center fielder. No player had a worse DRS mark at the position.
The 27-year-old should grade more favorably in his new position. He’s a much better athlete than most corner outfielders. There’ll still be plenty of ground to cover in home games thanks to Oracle Park’s massive right-center gap. The move to a corner will put a little more pressure on the bat. Lee is coming off a solid but unspectacular .266/.327/.407 slash across 617 plate appearances. That’s much better than the .241/.303/.395 league mark for center fielders but lands more middle-of-the-pack in right, where the average player batted .247/.319/.422 last year.
Right field was the biggest weak point in the San Francisco lineup. After they traded Mike Yastrzemski at the deadline, their right fielders hit .202/.249/.376 across 194 plate appearances. Drew Gilbert projects as a fourth or fifth outfielder. Luis Matos was a well-regarded prospect but hasn’t found much success on either side of the ball over three MLB seasons. Matos is out of minor league options and will be a player to watch in camp, as he’ll either need to win a bench job or be taken off the 40-man roster.
Pushing Lee to right field leaves second base as the last potential position of need. The Giants have looked for upgrades over Casey Schmitt, with reports tying them to various trade targets (e.g. Brendan Donovan, Nico Hoerner, CJ Abrams). Posey declined to go into specifics in response to a question about trading for a second baseman, but that appears to be a bigger priority than further augmenting the rotation. The Giants stayed away from the top of the market, instead signing back-end arms Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser to short-term deals.
Even as Framber Valdez remains unsigned, Posey downplayed the desire to add another starter. “We’re happy with our rotation right now, with some of the adjustments that Houser made last year, and we feel like Mahle is in a good place physically,” he said (relayed by John Shea of The San Francisco Standard). “You’re never going to close doors, but we feel good with the group that we have.”
They’ve taken a similar approach to the bullpen despite losing key contributors Camilo Doval, Tyler Rogers and Randy Rodríguez (the latter to Tommy John surgery) from last season. They’ve taken one-year fliers on Sam Hentges and Jason Foley, both of whom are returning from shoulder surgeries. There’ll be plenty of high-leverage innings available as first-year manager Tony Vitello evaluates the group. That extends to the closer role. Ryan Walker has the most ninth-inning experience of their relievers but is coming off an uneven year.
Walker tells Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle that he’s hoping to win the job, though it seems like it’ll be an open competition in Spring Training. “As we sit here today, I think we’re hoping that Ryan Walker can get back to his 2024 form. But without discussing it with Tony in depth, I guess the way that I would see it now is that we’ll see who steps up,” Posey told reporters (including Slusser). “We’re not coming into this season necessarily with one guy that we say, ‘You are going to be the closer.’ There’s a chance that somebody takes the reins and does slot in to that closer role as we get into the season, but right now I wouldn’t say that there’s one person that we’re targeting for the ninth inning.”
Jung Hoo Lee MRI Shows No Structural Damage
March 18: Fans can seemingly breathe a sigh of relief as Lee’s MRI showed no structural damage, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. He’ll resume rehabbing from his back discomfort.
March 17: Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was scratched from Saturday’s Cactus League contest due to back discomfort, and with the issue still bothering him 48 hours later, he’ll undergo an MRI, manager Bob Melvin revealed to reporters (link via Justice Delos Santos of the San Jose Mercury News). He’ll then have a followup with the team’s medical staff. Melvin anticipates having more information for the public tomorrow.
Lee, 26, signed a six-year, $113MM contract with the Giants after a terrific start to his professional career in the Korea Baseball Organization. He played in 37 games last year in his MLB debut and hit .262/.310/.331 with a pair of homers and some of the best contact skills in the sport (8.2% strikeout rate). Lee played 306 innings in center and drew average marks from Statcast with slightly below-average grades from Defensive Runs Saved. A shoulder injury suffered when colliding with the wall in trying to haul in a deep drive off Jeimer Candelario‘s bat ended Lee’s rookie season; he suffered a dislocation and a torn labrum, necessitating surgery.
In his return to the Giants’ lineup this spring, the former KBO standout has looked excellent. He’s appeared in a dozen games and tallied 35 plate appearances with a .300/.400/.567 slash. Lee has homered twice and drawn four walks (11.4%).
Time will tell whether the issue proves serious enough for a trip to the injured list. The Giants initially indicated that Lee was going to miss a game or two not because of a back injury suffered during a game but rather sleeping on it in awkward fashion. Sending him for an MRI would suggest there’s something potentially more worrisome at play.
If Lee does need to miss any time, the Giants have options in center. Luis Matos and Grant McCray are both plenty capable at the position. Matos, 23, is a former top prospect who’s capable of playing all three outfield spots. He logged 19 games in center for the Giants last year. McCray played 37 games in center during his rookie season in 2024. Both young outfielders struggled greatly against big league pitching, but both have had strong performances this spring. McCray is hitting .314/.429/.514 with a homer and four steals in 42 plate appearances. Matos is batting .362/.375/.532 with a pair of homers in 48 plate appearances. Whoever lines up in center field will be flanked by left fielder Heliot Ramos and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski.
Giants Claim Ryan McKenna
2:32PM: Both teams have announced the transaction, and MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado (via X) reported that the Giants placed Lee on the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for McKenna.
1:57PM: The Giants have claimed outfielder Ryan McKenna off waivers from the Orioles, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (X link). McKenna was designated for assignment earlier this week, and he’ll now change teams for the first time in his nine pro seasons.
It’s an obvious fit for a Giants team that is battling through a swath of injuries, particularly in the outfield ranks. Jung Hoo Lee just underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, and both Michael Conforto and Austin Slater are also currently sidelined. With shortstop Nick Ahmed and both catchers (starter Patrick Bailey and backup Tom Murphy) out, San Francisco has been forced to dig deep into its depth chart, and also pursue outside help like the recent signing of veteran catcher Curt Casali.
McKenna represents another external add, and he brings versatility in his ability to play all three outfield positions at at least an average level. Luis Matos and Heliot Ramos have gotten a lot of the playing time in the outfield with so many of the regulars out, and both have played well alongside Mike Yastrzemski in the makeshift starting arrangement. McKenna will bring some extra depth to that mix, since Blake Sabol has been limited to catcher and utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald could be deployed more strictly in the infield.
McKenna is also a right-handed hitter who can complement the lefty-swinging Yastrzemski, though McKenna has never brought much punch at the plate. Over 517 career MLB plate appearances, McKenna has hit just .224/.302/.332 with eight home runs. He also has a much more impressive .261/.359/.556 slash line over 274 PA at Triple-A, with much of that damage taking place during a big 2021 campaign.
Despite the lack of pop, it is possible the Orioles might not have felt compelled to part with McKenna if the team wasn’t so absurdly stacked with outfield talent. In a sense, having a clear-cut bench player like McKenna was valuable for the O’s since it wasn’t a huge deal if McKenna only received sporadic playing time, whereas sitting a Heston Kjerstad or a Kyle Stowers for days at a time wasn’t helpful for their development. Matos and Ramos are both playing well enough that this type of situation might not present itself in San Francisco, as there should be plenty of playing time available until some of the injured position players return.
Jung Hoo Lee To Undergo Season-Ending Labrum Surgery
The Giants informed reporters this evening that rookie center fielder Jung Hoo Lee will undergo surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder (X link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). He’ll miss the remainder of the season.
Lee was one of the top signees of last offseason. San Francisco inked the KBO star to a six-year, $113MM deal after he was posted by the Kiwoom Heroes. It was the fourth-largest free agent guarantee of the winter, trailing only the Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Nola deals. Lee’s age was a major factor, as he’s only 25. The Giants envisioned him as a top-of-the-lineup hitter who could handle center field on an everyday basis.
The left-handed hitter appeared in 37 games in his debut campaign. He hit .262/.310/.331 with two homers over 158 plate appearances. It wasn’t a great overall showing, but Lee only struck out in 8.2% of his trips to the plate and generally made a decent amount of hard contact. Most of his batted balls were hit on the ground, limiting his power ceiling, but it seemed reasonable to project him for a solid on-base percentage as he continued gaining experience against MLB pitching.
This is the second straight year in which Lee’s season was cut short. He appeared in 86 games before suffering a left ankle injury requiring surgery during his final season in Korea. He sustained the shoulder injury — a dislocation in addition to the labrum damage — when he collided with the Oracle Park wall trying to rob a Jeimer Candelario extra-base hit on Sunday. San Francisco president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters (including Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic) that Lee also underwent a left shoulder procedure while in Korea back in 2018. This surgery comes with a six-month rehab process, so he should be ready for Spring Training.
San Francisco has a staggering 11 players on the injured list at the moment. Lee is one of six position players on the shelf, including a trio of outfielders. Michael Conforto and Austin Slater are also currently out. The Giants are also without starting shortstop Nick Ahmed and their expected catching tandem of Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy.
Losing Lee for the season is arguably the biggest hit the Giants have taken so far. Second-year player Luis Matos has stepped in as the primary center fielder in his absence. Matos hit .250/.319/.342 with a pair of homers in 76 games during his rookie campaign. He was out to a very slow start to this season at Triple-A Sacramento, hitting .218/.308/.355 through 143 trips to the plate. Mike Yastrzemski and Heliot Ramos are flanking him in the corners.
The Giants will move Lee to the 60-day injured list when their next need for a 40-man roster spot arises. They’ll need to reinstate him at the beginning of the offseason. He’ll make $16MM next season, $22MM in 2026-27 and $20.5MM annually for the final two seasons of his deal. He can opt out after the 2027 campaign.
Jung Hoo Lee Leaves Game Due To Dislocated Shoulder
6:51PM: Lee suffered a dislocated shoulder, as per a team announcement (correcting an earlier statement from manager Bob Melvin). Lee will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage, and a more severe dislocation could possibly put his season in jeopardy.
4:38PM: Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee left today’s game with the Reds after suffering what the Giants later announced was a left shoulder strain. Lee made a leaping attempt to catch a Jeimer Candelario fly ball in the first inning, but the ball hit the top of the wall for a three-run double, while Lee’s arm made hard contact with the padding atop the fence. The awkward collision left Lee in obvious pain, and he was favoring his left arm as he left the field with the team trainer.
Manager Bob Melvin will surely provide media with an update on Lee following the game, but it certainly looks like a trip to the 10-day injured list is in order. Lee was just making his return to the lineup today after missing San Francisco’s previous three games with a minor foot injury, after he fouled a pitch off himself in Wednesday’s 8-6 win over the Rockies.
Lee’s situation adds to the Giants’ recent injury woes, as the team has lost five position players to the IL in a little over a week’s time. Michael Conforto was just placed on the 10-day IL earlier today due to a hamstring strain, with Conforto joining Austin Slater (concussion symptoms), Nick Ahmed (wrist sprain), Jorge Soler (shoulder strain), and backup catcher Tom Murphy (knee sprain) on the sidelines. Patrick Bailey was activated from the seven-day concussion-related IL yesterday, but was a late scratch from today’s lineup, as the catcher is dealing with a viral illness and could possibly miss a few more days.
Losing all of these regulars isn’t good news for a team that was already having trouble generating offense, and the Giants will have a particular issue in the outfield with Lee, Conforto, and Slater all out. Luis Matos was called up to take Conforto’s roster spot today, so he’ll join Mike Yastrzemski, Heliot Ramos, and utilityman Tyler Fitzgerald in trying to fill in all the gaps in the outfield depth chart. LaMonte Wade Jr. and Brett Wisely could also chip in for corner outfield duty, and Wade Meckler might be the next call-up from Triple-A since Meckler is already on the 40-man roster.
For Lee himself, a significant injury would be a very unfortunate way to begin his first season in Major League Baseball. The outfielder signed a six-year, $113MM deal (the fourth-largest contract for any free agent last winter) with the Giants back in December, with the team also adding a $18.825MM posting fee to the Kiwoom Heroes, Lee’s old Korea Baseball Organization club. Lee doesn’t turn 26 until August, so the combination of his youth and his big numbers in the KBO League made him an attractive commodity in free agency, and the priciest acquisition of a very busy San Francisco offseason.
The results have been mixed over Lee’s first first 37 games, which isn’t surprising for a player getting his first taste of North American baseball whatsoever, let alone the majors. Lee entered today’s action hitting .262/.310/.331 over 158 plate appearances, translating to an 89 wRC+. The pluses include some solid center field defense and a lot of contact, as Lee has been one of the hardest hitter in the league to strike out this season. However, Lee hasn’t done much with all his contact, as his hard-hit ball rate is only slightly above average, and he isn’t generating much power.
MLBTR Podcast: Tyler Glasnow, Jung Hoo Lee, D-Backs’ Signings and the Braves’ Confusing Moves
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Dodgers acquire and extend Tyler Glasnow (0:30)
- The Giants signed outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (7:15)
- Diamondbacks sign Eduardo Rodriguez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (13:05)
Plus, Steve Adams joins to answer your questions, including…
- What’s going on with Atlanta shuffling all these contracts around? (21:25)
- Will the Mariners do anything with the payroll they jettisoned? (30:15)
Check out our past episodes!
- Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Deferred Money – listen here
- Winter Meetings, Ohtani Secrecy, and the Mariners Shedding Salary – listen here
- Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda and Offseason Questions – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!