Hot Stove League Update: Non-Tender Day

Today was the last day for teams to offer, or tender, contracts to players who are eligible for arbitration.  In modern baseball vernacular, if a player is not offered a contract they are non-tendered which is not unlike being DFA'd.  Historically the Giants are risk averse with their approach to arbitration and try to come to terms with a player before they have to tender a contract that may lead to an arbitration hearing.  Most of the time when they do tender a contract they end up coming to terms with the player before it gets to the hearing stage, usually coming close to splitting the difference between the team offer and the player ask.

This year just 3 Giants players are eligible for arbitration:  Andrew Knizner C, Joey Lucchesi LHP and J. T. Brubaker RHP.  I expected them to reach agreement with all three prior to the tender deadline and keep them on the roster.  Well, it didn't go down that way.  The Giants kicked off the day my making an early MLBTR headline by acquiring Joey Wiemer OF for cash considerations and DFA'ing Knizner.  They later non-tendered Knizner for good measure.  I was really surprised they let Knizner go as I thought he did a respectable job as backup catcher last season.  While backup catcher is far from the most important role on the roster, Its not that easy to find good ones as we have seen with the Giants over the past several seasons.  The acquisition of Wiemer is also surprising as it appears to add to the Giants already large logjam of fringy outfielders.  More on that later. 

Letting Joey Lucchesi go was a bit of a surprise given that his MLBTR projected arbitration salary of $2 M is not at all out of line for a versatile lefty reliever.  Maybe Buster feels secure enough with Erik Miller LHP and Matt Gage LHP that he felt he didn't need Lucchesi or maybe he has another lefty bullpen option in mind?

Several analysts thought Brubaker was the most likely to be non-tendered.  I wasn't buying that as he was a decent innings-eating SP before missing the better parts of two seasons with an injury. The Giants ran out of SP innings last season and need to find innings this offseason more than they need a top-end SP.  In today's SP pitching market, Brubaker is dirt cheap and can compete for a #5 SP or for a Jakob Junis/Yusmeiro Petit type swingman role.  

So who is Joey Wiemer and how does he fit into the Giants plans?  That's a great question as there was already no shortage of outfielders on the 40-man roster.  Let's take a look at his profile:

Joey Wiemer OF.  DOB:  2/11/1999.  B-R, T-R.  6' 4", 226 lbs.  2020 4'th round draft pick by Brewers.  No options but pre-arbitration.  

2023:  .204/.283/.362, 13 HR, 11 SB, 8.8 BB%, 28.3 K%, 410 PA.

2024:  .154/.214/.154, 7.1 BB%, 32.1 K%, 28 PA.

2025(MLB):  .236/.279/.436, 3 HR, 3.3 BB%, 37.1 K%, 61 PA.  

2025(MiLB):  .203/.315/.357, 11 HR, 13 SB, 12.2 BB%, 25.8 K%, 337 PA.

Wow!  That's not exactly the high contact profile Buster says he thinks Oracle Park favors.  He is versatile and is reputed to be an above average defender at all 3 OF spots and has a little power and speed but is that enough to put up with his rather extreme swing and miss tendency?  The Giants now have 10 outfielders on the 40-man roster at least four of whom are out of options.  Something has to give.  You have to think with the acquisitions of Justin Dean and Joey Wiemer that Luis Matos, Marco Luciano and possibly Jerar Encarnacion are not figuring into the Giants plans for next season.