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Curt Casali Retires

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In a move that wasn’t publicly reported earlier this season, longtime catcher Curt Casali retired and took a job in the Reds front office, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.  Casali signed a minor league deal with the Braves last winter but was released before the end of Spring Training, and he didn’t play at all in 2025.

At age 36 and after 11 Major League seasons, it appears as though Casali decided to call it a career and move onto a new phase of his baseball life.  The nature of his duties with the Reds isn’t specified, but Slusser wonders if Casali could emerge as a future managerial candidate….even as soon as this winter as the Giants look for a new dugout boss.  That would continue the trend of catchers moving into managerial jobs, and Slusser notes that Buster Posey (obviously a former backstop himself) seems to be looking at ex-catchers in the early stages of San Francisco’s managerial search.

Casali has plenty of links to the organization, as he played with the Giants in 2021-22 and again during the 2024 season.  In the first year of Casali’s time in San Francisco, he was Posey’s backup during what ended up being Posey’s final big league campaign.

A 10th-round pick for the Tigers in the 2011 draft, Casali was dealt to the Rays in March 2013, and he made his MLB debut in a Tampa uniform in 2014.  Casali was mostly a part-timer over his four seasons with the Rays, but he received the bulk of the catching duties in 2016, playing in 84 games and making 256 plate appearances.  He didn’t hit much during that extended look, however, and Casali left the Rays organization and bounced around to a few teams on minors deals, including a return to Tampa Bay before the Rays dealt him to the Reds in May 2018.

Casali spent the next three seasons in Cincinnati, and his bat came alive to the point that he moved into a virtual timeshare with Tucker Barnhart.  Casali hit .260/.345/.440 over 485 PA during the 2018-20 seasons, but the Reds still chose to non-tender Casali during the 2020-21 offseason, paving the way for his next contract with the Giants.

At the 2022 trade deadline, San Francisco dealt Casali to the Mariners as part of a noteworthy trade that also sent Matthew Boyd to Seattle’s bullpen for the stretch run.  Casali backed up Cal Raleigh for the remainder of the 2022 campaign before entering free agency again, and his final two MLB seasons were spent revisiting old haunts in Cincinnati (in 2023) and San Francisco (in 2024).  While Casali’s big league playing time during those two seasons was spent with the Reds and Giants, he also was briefly part of the Marlins and Cubs organizations on minors deals.

Overall, Casali will finish his career with a .218/.312/.369 slash line and 48 home runs over 1579 PA and 543 games across his 11 seasons in the Show.  Beyond that modest offensive production, Casali was well-regarded for his ability to handle pitchers and call a game.  If Slusser’s report is any indication, Casali’s knowledge of the game might well develop into coaching or managerial jobs if he wishes to pursue that direction.

We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Casali on a fine career and wish him the best in his post-playing career.

Giants Interview Kurt Suzuki In Managerial Search

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The Giants interviewed longtime MLB catcher Kurt Suzuki as they search for a new manager. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle first reported that Suzuki was scheduled to interview on Friday afternoon, and FanSided’s Robert Murray confirmed this evening that indeed took place.

Suzuki, 42 tomorrow, has worked as a special assistant with the Angels for the past three seasons. The longtime MLB catcher jumped right into front office work after retiring as a player following the 2022 campaign. Suzuki appeared in parts of 16 big league seasons. He was an All-Star with Minnesota in 2014 and won a World Series as a member of the 2019 Nationals. That included a go-ahead homer off Justin Verlander in Washington’s Game 2 victory over the Astros.

While Suzuki never played for the Giants, he’s plenty familiar with the Bay Area. He played more than 700 games over two stints with the A’s when they were in Oakland. Suzuki was an A’s draftee who played there between 2007-12. He was traded back for a brief stint at the end of the 2013 season as well.

Suzuki’s front office work has come under Angels’ general manager Perry Minasian, the brother of Giants’ GM and #2 executive Zack Minasian. He doesn’t have any coaching or managerial experience. He was highly respected as a player and had the added bonus of working as a catcher, a trait of many future managers.

It’s an unconventional but not unprecedented candidacy. Reigning American League Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt was hired by the Guardians going into 2024. Vogt had only retired as a player one season earlier, though he did spend the intervening year on Seattle’s coaching staff. Vogt has led the Guardians to consecutive playoff berths.

Former Giants bullpen coach Craig Albernaz has worked as Vogt’s bench coach and associate manager, respectively, over the past two seasons. Albernaz has long been viewed as a potential manager in his own right, and he was reportedly a finalist for both the Miami and White Sox vacancies last year. After Chicago hired Will Venable, Albernaz withdrew from consideration for the Marlins job. They subsequently hired Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough.

Given Albernaz’s previous ties to the Giants and to baseball operations president Buster Posey, he’s an expected candidate for the San Francisco job. Slusser writes that the 42-year-old is “likely to get a look” for the position, though it’s not known if he has an interview scheduled. Cleveland was bounced by the Tigers in the Wild Card Series yesterday.

Posey: Giants Focused On Pitching This Offseason

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Buster Posey’s most significant moves in his first season as president of baseball operations came on the hitting side, signing shortstop Willy Adames to a franchise-record seven-year, $182MM deal and landing third baseman Rafael Devers in a midseason trade. Posey will now turn his attention to pitching, the former catcher told Alex Pavlovic and Laura Britt of NBC Sports in an interview this week. “I think our focus is going to be on pitching, to try to fortify our starting staff. The same goes with the bullpen.”

San Francisco got solid contributions from the ever-reliable Logan Webb and a strong year from Robbie Ray in his first full season after Tommy John surgery. Behind Webb and Ray, the Giants’ rotation was largely a mess. Jordan Hicks opened the season as a starter, but posted a 6.55 ERA over nine starts and was bumped to the bullpen. He was then dealt to Boston in the Devers trade along with Kyle Harrison, a rotation mainstay in 2024.  Landen Roupp shook off a rough April to deliver decent results for a couple months, but missed the final six weeks of the season with a knee injury. Justin Verlander was the lone offseason addition, joining the team on a one-year, $15MM pact. He didn’t earn his first win as a Giant until mid-July, but ultimately delivered decent results, especially considering his advanced age. Hayden Birdsong seemed destined to lock down a rotation spot after beginning the season in the bullpen, but he found himself in Triple-A after struggling with control.

The Giants tried a handful of youngsters in the rotation, with varying results. Top prospect Carson Whisenhunt debuted in late July. He stumbled through five starts, posting a 5.01 ERA with an untenable 16:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Carson Seymour got the call in late June and made 16 appearances with the big-league club. He was tagged for nine home runs in just 36 innings. Seymour did earn his first MLB win in August, beating St. Louis in his second of three starts. Kai-Wei Teng was recalled in August and made eight big-league appearances. He notched a strong 28.1% strikeout rate over 29 2/3 innings, but was knocked around for 21 earned runs. Trevor McDonald was the last to arrive, though he offered the most intriguing results. The right-hander recorded a pair of quality starts in three outings, including a dominant 10-strikeout performance in the final series of the season.

Roupp should be healthy to begin the 2026 season. Verlander is a free agent, though Posey said he’s open to bringing him back. That still leaves at least one rotation spot up for grabs heading into the upcoming campaign. McDonald certainly made a solid case, though a 5.31 ERA at Triple-A last season casts doubt on his long-term outlook. Ray also struggled to close the season, allowing at least four earned runs in four of his final five appearances. His performance down the stretch, along with his injury history, could spur the Giants to add more depth.

Posey will have plenty of choices on the free agent market to fill out the rotation. Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez headline the 2026 starting pitching class. They’re likely to seek nine-figure deals. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly represent durable alternatives with potentially less upside. Brandon Woodruff, Michael King, and Tyler Mahle performed well when healthy in 2025, but health remains a question. Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito could join the fray depending on how their current contract situations pan out. There is no shortage of veteran inning-eating types like Aaron Civale and Zack Littell. The Giants could also take a swing at reviving guys like Zach Eflin, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, and Michael Soroka.

The bullpen was actually a strength for San Francisco this past season, at least until the trade deadline. The Giants ranked second in bullpen ERA through July. They were third in xFIP and fifth in SIERA. The team then sent Camilo Doval to the Yankees and Tyler Rogers to the Mets. Randy Rodriguez entered the closer role with Doval gone, but his dominant season (1.78 ERA) was cut short due to an elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. San Francisco’s bullpen slipped to 13th in ERA over the final two months of the season.

Ryan Walker is currently atop the closer depth chart, which might be why Posey is searching for bullpen help. After losing the job to Doval, Walker continued to scuffle as the stopper following Rodriguez’s injury, blowing two saves and losing another game in September.

There are several high-profile closers on the market, including Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, and Raisel Iglesias. Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez could join them if they elect to opt out of their current deals. On the cheaper side, Kenley Jansen, Luke Weaver, Kirby Yates, Ryan Pressly, and Kyle Finnegan have plenty of closing experience. Emilio Pagan and Gregory Soto are coming off bounce-back seasons. Both of the Rogers brothers are available. It’s a robust group, giving Posey plenty of routes to reload on the reliever front.

Spending shouldn’t be an issue for the Giants in 2026. Devers’ megadeal is now on the books, and the team still has healthy commitments remaining to Adames, Ray, and Matt Chapman, but FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool has them at around $140MM for next year’s payroll. San Francisco only has a small handful of players heading to arbitration, so that payroll estimate shouldn’t budge much ahead of 2026. While they were at around $178MM in payroll last season, the Giants were up over $200MM as recently as 2024. There’s plenty of room to add multiple high-priced pitchers, whether in the starting rotation, the bullpen, or both.

Giants Notes: Coaches, Eldridge, Smith, Bochy

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3:20PM: The Giants won’t be interviewing any members of the current coaching staff for the managerial opening, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reports.  The club isn’t renewing any of the coaches’ contracts for 2026, which is standard practice in the event of a managerial change.  While the next skipper will naturally have input in the make-up of next year’s staff, Slusser views pitching coach J.P. Martinez, bullpen coach Garvin Alston, and first base coach Mark Hallberg as the likeliest candidates to return.

2:03PM: The Giants announced Wednesday that top prospect Bryce Eldridge will undergo surgery tomorrow to remove a bone spur from his left wrist. The procedure comes with an eight-week recovery timetable, which should afford Eldridge ample time to be ready for spring training.

San Francisco’s first-round pick in 2023, Eldridge made his big league debut late in the season at just 20 years of age. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey had suggested earlier in September that Eldridge wasn’t likely to get the call in 2025, but with the Giants pushing back into playoff contention late in the year, they brought their most promising hitter to the majors in hopes of a late spark.

Perhaps predictably, given his youth and lack of upper-minors experience, Eldridge struggled and often looked overmatched. He appeared in 10 games, took 37 plate appearances and turned in just a .107/.297/.179 batting line with 13 strikeouts (35.1%). None of that diminishes Eldridge’s long-term outlook. He skyrocketed through the minors and logged a .260/.333/.510 batting line with 25 homers in just 433 plate appearances across three levels this year.

Eldridge is still regarded as one of the sport’s 20 best prospects at both Baseball America and MLB.com. News of surgery on the promising young slugger’s wrist might create some concern about his short-term production early in 2026, but the long-term expectation remains that Eldridge and June trade acquisition Rafael Devers will share first base and designated hitter in the long term.

In 2025, first base duties fell primarily to the trio of LaMonte Wade Jr. (designated for assignment in June), Devers and veteran Dominic Smith, who signed a big league deal at the same time Wade was jettisoned from the roster. Smith handled himself well in San Francisco, batting .284/.333/.417 with five homers and a dozen doubles in 225 trips to the plate. The presence of both Eldridge and Devers on the roster doesn’t seem to dovetail with a reunion between the Giants and Smith, who’s a free agent this winter, but general manager Zack Minasian suggested otherwise today.

Speaking with reporters in an end-of-season press conference, Minasian said the Giants “won’t close the door” on bringing the 30-year-old back for the 2026 season (link via Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area). Smith does have a bit of outfield experience dating back to his days with the Mets, but the results weren’t pretty. He’s logged 1330 innings in left field in his career but graded out poorly via both Defensive Runs Saved (-11) and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (-19). If the Giants are comfortable with him being a bench bat and a safety net at first base/DH in the event that Eldridge doesn’t make the Opening Day roster, there could still be a fit. However, Smith’s solid showing at the plate figures to earn him some other opportunities around the league.

Of course, the more pressing question of a potential reunion on the minds of most Giants fans concerns longtime skipper Bruce Bochy, who’s spent the past three seasons managing the Rangers. Bochy and the Rangers announced a mutual parting of ways at season’s end, and San Francisco has a managerial vacancy after dismissing Bob Melvin. Bochy was president of baseball operations Buster Posey’s manager early in his career with the Giants. The pair won three World Series together during the Giants’ even-year dynasty when they won the Fall Classic in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Asked about the possibility of Bochy returning to manage the Giants today, however, Posey suggested it’s not likely (video link via NBC Sports Bay Area):

“I talked to Boch a couple of days ago and told him that where we are currently — and I don’t even know what Boch’s plans are, if he wants to continue to manage or not — that the door is always open here for some sort of role. But the way I think things are coming into picture in my mind, with where we want to go next, I don’t see us going that route with Boch.”

Posey did acknowledge that he’s had some (presumably preliminary) conversations with managerial candidates, but there’s no indication that formal interviews have commenced, nor is there a clear timetable for when the Giants might resolve their search.

Giants Fire Bob Melvin

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1:40pm: Bench coach Ryan Christenson and third base coach Matt Williams tell Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that they will not be returning to the team in 2026, either. Both were with the Giants in those roles from 2024-25.

11:35am: The Giants announced Monday that they’ve fired manager Bob Melvin. They’ll spend the early portion of the offseason looking for a new skipper.

“After meeting with ownership, I met with Bob today to inform him of my decision,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a press release. “On behalf of the organization, I want to express my appreciation to Bob and for his dedication, professionalism, and class. I wish him all the best.

After a careful evaluation, we determined that making a change in leadership was in the best interest of the team. The last couple of months have been both disappointing and frustrating for all of us, and we did not perform up to our standards. We now turn our focus to identifying a new leader to guide us forward.”

As recently as July 1, things looked quite different. The Giants announced at the time that they were exercising their 2026 club option on Melvin, who’d spent the first three months of the season with no guarantees beyond the current campaign. At the time, Melvin’s Giants were 45-40, firmly in the mix a National League Wild Card berth. They played at a disappointing 36-41 pace down the stretch, finishing the year with a .500 record that landed them 12 games behind the NL West-champion Dodgers and two games behind the Reds for the final postseason spot. Despite Melvin being under contract on a guaranteed salary, the Giants will cut ties and look for a new dugout boss.

Melvin is one of the most decorated managers in the game today — and in MLB history. He’s currently 20th all-time in managerial wins. A three-time Manager of the Year who’s won that honor in both the American League and National League, the 63-year-old Melvin has 22 years of managerial experience and a winning 1678-1588 record. That includes an 853-764 record in 11 seasons as manager in Oakland, despite perennially operating clubs that had one of the game’s lowest payrolls (if not the lowest in a given season). He was 161-163 in his two seasons at the helm on the other side of the Bay.

As the Giants slipped down the stretch, Melvin’s job status became a source of increased speculation. Just yesterday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggested that, in the wake of a playoff miss, Posey might look to move on from Melvin and try to bring his own former manager, Bruce Bochy, back to San Francisco. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up and, as with Melvin, there’s been plenty of speculation regarding his future following a second straight disappointing season in Arlington.

Anyone with a résumé as prolific as that of Melvin will figure to get looks at other managerial vacancies as they arise around the sport. The Orioles, Nationals and Rockies already have interim managers after midseason dismissals of Brandon Hyde, Davey Martinez and Bud Black. Braves manager Brian Snitker has said he’s yet to decide whether he’ll retire or continue managing. Bochy’s contract in Texas is up. A handful of other managerial vacancies could very well emerge, too, and there are surely no shortage of clubs who’d be interested in bringing someone with Melvin’s acumen board in an advisory capacity, if he doesn’t want to jump right back into the rigors of helming a club for 162 games.

As for the Giants, Melvin’s ouster all but guarantees substantial turnover on the coaching staff. It’s commonplace when a manager is let go for his coaching staff to be given the green light to explore opportunities with other clubs. Incoming managers typically want to have say in the coaching staff at their disposal, after all. Melvin’s dismissal should be the first of several shakeups to the dugout staff at Oracle Park.

Bob Melvin Uncertain About Future As Giants’ Manager

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After the Giants posted an 80-82 record in Bob Melvin’s first season as manager, the club improved by just a single game in 2025.  The 81-win campaign means that the Giants have still had just one winning season in the last nine years, and since their 107-win outburst in 2021, San Francisco has an almost exactly middling 321-327 record.

More was expected heading into 2025 and even during the season, especially after the club was firmly in NL West contention by mid-June.  With just a .500 record as the final result, however, Melvin admitted to reporters (including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Shayna Rubin) that he hadn’t been told that he’ll be returning as manager in 2026.

“It is what it is.  We’ll see what the next day brings,” Melvin said, noting that he believe he’ll be meeting with “somebody” in the front office on Monday.

The lack of clarity about Melvin’s status is perhaps a red flag, and as Rubin writes, “the shift in Melvin’s tone is stark compared to earlier this year.”  Back on July 1, in fact, the Giants seemed to be getting an early jump on any lame-duck speculation by exercising their 2026 club option on Melvin’s contract.  The team was actually in a bit of a slump on July 1, but rebounded to take a 51-42 record into action on July 9.  An ugly 13-0 loss to the Phillies that day was a bad omen, as it started a 3-13 stretch for the Giants through the end of July.

More streaky play followed, as the Giants followed up a 2-11 stretch in August by suddenly going 13-3 in their following 16 games.  This briefly brought San Francisco back into the wild card hunt before another 2-9 stretch sunk the team in September.  Both the lineup and the pitching staff seemed to take turns being inconsistent, though the offense in particular was a letdown given the premium talent (i.e. Rafael Devers, Willy Adames) acquired within the last year.

How much of this is Melvin’s fault, naturally, is a matter of debate.  Questions can certainly be asked about the roster Melvin was given by president of baseball operations Buster Posey, who has now completed his first year in charge of the Giants front office.  But, Posey obviously isn’t going anywhere so early in his tenure, and despite his commitment to Melvin in July, the PBO could be looking to make his own hire in the dugout.  Melvin was hired by former baseball ops head Farhan Zaidi, who had a longstanding past history dating back to their days with the Athletics when Melvin was the manager and Zaidi was an assistant GM.

Melvin turns 64 at the end of October, and he has now managed for parts of 22 Major League seasons over tenures with the Mariners, Diamondbacks, A’s, Padres, and Giants.  Melvin has a 1678-1588 record and three Manager of the Year awards over his outstanding career as a skipper, and chances are he would draw immediate attention on the job market if the Giants did choose to fire him in the coming days.

Posey: Giants “Definitely” Interested In Re-Signing Verlander

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Justin Verlander will turn 43 in the offseason, but he’s been vocal at multiple points — both this year and in the past — about wanting to continue pitching into his mid-40s. He said as much in early August, and Verlander doubled down on that desire this week in an interview with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Manager Bob Melvin and young outfielder Drew Gilbert both lauded Verlander and what he brings to the team when chatting with Nightengale, and the sentiment runs further up the chain. President of baseball operations Buster Posey told Markus Boucher and Todd Husak of KNBR just yesterday that he’d like to being Verlander back for another season (audio link).

“Yeah, definitely,” Posey said when asked whether his team would have interest in a reunion. “It’s something we’ll have to discuss, but [we do] for a multitude of reasons. He’s been a great teammate. He’s helped some of our younger guys learn how to prepare, and he just sets an example by going out and performing, continuing to show up. So yeah, it’s definitely something we’d be open to.”

Verlander’s season got out to a bit of a rocky start, but he’s dialed the clock back and looked almost ageless over the past couple months. His season-long 3.75 ERA in 141 2/3 innings pitched is impressive for anyone, let alone a 42-year-old, but his recent work looks straight out of 2009-14.

Dating back to July 23, Verlander touts a sparkling 2.17 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. He’s whiffed 23.2% of his opponents along the way and limited walks at an 8.1% clip. Even more incredibly, he’s allowed just three total runs over his past five starts — a span of 31 innings. Verlander has held his opponent scoreless in four of his past seven trips to the mound, averaging better than six innings per start along the way. The 24-year-old Gilbert, speaking with Nightengale, called Verlander’s current run “inhuman” and discussed how surreal it is to be sharing a clubhouse with “one of the greatest pitchers of all-time” and someone he’s been watching for essentially his whole life. Melvin marveled in similar fashion.

“I get to talk about about (Verlander) and a milestone and him passing somebody – Gaylord Perry, Walter Johnson – almost every start now,” the veteran skipper said. “…To be pitching this well late in the season, with this much under his belt at this point, it’s pretty remarkable.”

While Verlander’s performance in 2025 — particularly down the stretch — should lead to substantial offseason interest both from the Giants and pitching-needy clubs around the league, it’s still difficult to imagine anyone guaranteeing him multiple years. That said, he’ll be coming off a far better season this winter than he was last offseason. Verlander’s final year in Houston saw him make 17 starts with a 5.48 ERA in 90 1/3 innings. This year’s rebound should allow him to secure a comparable, if not larger salary than the $15MM guarantee he received with the Giants for the 2025 campaign.

Verlander has already received a qualifying offer in the past, so the Giants won’t have the option to make him one following the season. Given the right-hander’s age and his outside shot at reaching 300 wins in his career — he’s currently 35 victories short but has previously expressed interest in pitching until he’s 45 — it’s fair to presume that Verlander will limit himself to contending, win-now clubs. It also stands to reason that there’ll be more competition for his services this offseason than there was last time around. The Giants clearly have interest, but they’ll be far from his only suitor.

Braves Claim Brett Wisely

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The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve claimed infielder Brett Wisely off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett. Lefty Aaron Bummer was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL in order to create space on the 40-man roster. San Francisco designated Wisely for assignment earlier in the week.

Wisely, 26, was a 15th-round pick by the Rays back in 2019. He landed with the Giants in a 2022 swap that sent outfield prospect Tristan Peters back to Tampa Bay. Neither player has made a huge impact with the team to which he was traded, but Wisely has spent far more time in the majors than the 25-year-old Peters, who made his MLB debut last month and went hitless in four games before being optioned back to Triple-A.

Wisely has logged major league time in each of the past three seasons, appearing in 164 games for the Giants. He’s tallied 457 plate appearances and posted a tepid .217/.263/.324 slash with seven homers, 22 doubles, a triple, five steals, a 25.2% strikeout rate and a 5.7% walk rate.

It’s clearly not an impressive batting line — wRC+ measures him 36% worse than a league-average offensive performer — but Wisely has provided the Giants with both versatile and skilled defensive play. He’s spent the bulk of his time at second base (682 innings) but also has ample experience at shortstop (269 innings) with cameos at third base and in center field. He’s graded out positively at every position he’s played in the eyes of both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average. And while Wisely isn’t a prolific thief on the basepaths, he does possess slightly above-average speed, sitting in the 55th percentile of big leaguers, per Statcast (and the 62nd percentile last year).

This is the last of three minor league option years for Wisely. He’s controllable all the way through 2030 but will have to stick on an Opening Day roster next season or else be designated for assignment and exposed to waivers prior to being sent to the minors. He’s far from a lock to last all the way into next year’s spring training on the 40-man roster with Atlanta, but if he does stick around that long, he’ll vie for a bench spot in what’s currently a wide-open competition.

The Braves claimed Ha-Seong Kim off waivers at the end of August, taking on the veteran shortstop’s $16MM player option in doing so. If Kim picks up that option, he’ll be the everyday shortstop in 2026. If not, Atlanta will enter the offseason with Nick Allen — a defensive standout but one of MLB’s lightest hitters — atop the depth chart at short. Atlanta would almost certainly be in the market for an upgrade, potentially pushing Allen into a bench role. Other candidates for reserve spots with the Braves would include Nacho Alvarez Jr. and former top prospect Vidal Brujan. Both Allen and Brujan are out of minor league options as well.

Suffice it to say, there’ll likely be a fair bit of turnover among that group, but for the time being, Wisely provides some depth at multiple positions and a versatile defender with slightly more bat than either Allen or Brujan can offer. In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Wisely is a .274/.371/.433 hitter.

MLBTR Podcast: The Struggling Mets, Bryce Eldridge, And Trey Yesavage

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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 Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Will the Astros trade Christian Walker in the offseason and move Isaac Paredes over to first base? (38:45)
  • Will the Braves make any shocking trades of their core this offseason? (47:40)
  • Will the Red Sox nab a postseason spot and can they make a deep postseason run? (55:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

Giants Notes: Roupp, McDonald, Crawford

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Last month, Giants starter Landen Roupp suffered what appeared to be a season-ending bone bruise in his left knee. San Francisco never officially moved the right-hander to the 60-day injured list. They now find themselves in a playoff race thanks to the Mets’ recent eight-game losing streak, which leaves the door ajar for Roupp to make it back this year.

Roupp has thrown a couple bullpen sessions in recent days. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle noted over the weekend that there’s a possibility for the second-year pitcher to come back in October if the Giants snag a playoff berth. That’d probably be in relief, as he hasn’t thrown in a game setting since August 20.

The Giants lost Carson Whisenhunt to a back strain a week after Roupp’s injury. That has left them without great options for the final two rotation spots behind Logan Webb, Justin Verlander and Robbie Ray. Righty Kai-Wei Teng hasn’t worked deep into games and carries a 6.41 ERA across seven appearances.

They’re operating without a fifth starter, which resulted in Tristan Beck kicking off a bullpen game tonight for a big matchup in Arizona. The Giants dropped half a game behind the Diamondbacks with last night’s loss in the series opener. They’re 2.5 games back of the Mets, who beat the Padres earlier this evening, pending the result of tonight’s game.

San Francisco made a move before tonight’s game, recalling righty Trevor McDonald from Triple-A Sacramento. Keaton Winn, who pitched two innings in relief of Teng yesterday, was optioned out. The 24-year-old McDonald gave up two runs in as many innings in his first MLB appearance of the season.

McDonald has occupied a spot on San Francisco’s 40-man roster since the 2023-24 offseason. The former 11th round pick had one day of major league service before tonight. The Giants called him up for the final game of the ’24 season, in which he tossed three scoreless innings. He had spent all of this season working from the rotation in Sacramento. McDonald had a decent 23% strikeout rate and got ground-balls at a 53% clip, but he struggled to a 5.31 ERA across 142 1/3 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

There’s a less fortunate update on another of the organization’s pitching prospects. Former first-round pick Reggie Crawford underwent another shoulder surgery and will be out into the middle of next season, reports Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Crawford underwent his first labrum repair last September. The UCONN product was already out for the season but had recently begun throwing bullpen sessions.

Crawford, the #30 overall pick in 2022, has thrown 37 1/3 career innings in the minor leagues. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason if the Giants don’t add him to the 40-man roster. Another team could theoretically eye him as a Rule 5 target whom they could stash on the MLB injured list until he completes his rehab. That makes the 40-man decision an interesting one for San Francisco’s front office. Crawford has shown a triple-digit fastball and a plus or better breaking ball at his best, but he has very little pitching experience. He was primarily a first baseman in college and only threw eight innings for the Huskies. He underwent Tommy John surgery as a junior in addition to his pair of shoulder procedures.

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