Giants draft Blake Sabol

The Giants announced this evening that they have designated a catcher/outfielder for assignment. Blake Sabol For the mission. This move cleared a roster spot for signings. Justin VerlanderIt's now official.

Sabol, who celebrated his 27th birthday earlier this week, was a seventh-round pick of the Pirates in 2019 and was taken out of the organization by San Francisco in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. This earned Sabol a spot on the Giants' Opening Day roster for 2023, and he performed well for a player with just 25 games of Triple-A experience. While splitting time between catcher and left field in 2023, Sabol hit a respectable .235/.301/.394 (91 wRC+) in 344 plate appearances.

But with the Giants able to option him to the minors in 2024, Sabol quickly returned to Triple-A and had a brief cameo in the majors last year. But he hit well in those 11 games, posting a slash line of .313/.421/.375 in 38 plate moves and helping cover at-bats. patrick bailey While visiting the concussion-related injury list. During his time in the minors, Sabol struggled offensively in Triple-A with a .246/.340/.388 slash line for a wRC+ of just 85.

A poor performance in Triple-A seemed to have made Sabol expendable as a catching depth option in the eyes of the president of baseball operations. Buster Posey and the Giants' front office. latest club assert catcher sam huff The Rangers' waiver may have made it less necessary for Sabol to be on the 40-man roster. Huff has limited minor league options and cannot be sent to the minors without waiver clearance, but he could still provide the club with depth behind Bailey. tom murphy He could be on the roster throughout spring training or as a third catcher.

Going forward, the Giants will have a week to complete a trade involving Sabol or expose him to waivers. It wouldn't be surprising if a club in need of a catcher as a viable catching depth option would take the opportunity to clear Sabol off waivers to help him rediscover something closer to the offensive form he showed in 2023. An average major league offensive catcher. If Sabol clears unclaimed waivers, the Giants would have the option to keep him as a non-roster depth option through the 2025 season.