Hot Stove League Update: Giants Trade Kai-Wei Teng

The Giants needed a spot on the 40-man roster to make room for Harrison Bader OF.  Rather than DFA a fringe player, they acted pre-emptively and traded Kai-Wei Teng RHP to the Astros for Jancel Villarroel C and maybe more importantly, more international bonus space.  Let's break it down:

Kai-Wei Teng RHP.  DOB:  12/1/1998.  6' 4", 241 lbs.  40-man roster, 2 Options.

2025(AAA):  3-2, 3.63, 57 IP, 14.05 K/9, 3.47 BB/9, 1.42 GB/FB.

2025(MLB):  2-4, 6.37, 29.2 IP, 11.83 K/9, 5.18 BB/9, 0.97 GB/FB. 

Teng was acquired in 2019 for Sam Dyson.  He's worked his way up the Giants minor league system with mixed results.  At times he put up dominant K rates and other times his ERA ballooned due to command issues.  He logged some time at the MLB level last season and made some really impressive pitches but was again plagued by inconsistent command and a large ERA.  It's a bit sad to see him traded but the Giants have a logjam of AAA/MLB pitchers and Teng was probably the most logical to go.  He also might have been they could get more for him than other pitchers and the extra international bonus money in addition to a non-40-man roster prospect is not a trivial return.

Jancel Villarroel C.  DOB:  1/17/2005.  B-R, T-R.  5' 8", 176 lbs.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2027.

2025(A):  .258/.360/.385, 6 HR, 20 SB, 11.3 BB%, 17.2 K%, 372 PA.

2025(A+):  .263/.295/.404, 2 HR, 4.9 BB%, 21.3 K%, 61 PA.

Compact catching prospect with strong hit and power tools.  Reportedly has a strong throwing arm but still needs work on his all-around catching game.  Got his feet wet in A+ ball at the end of last season so that is where he will probably start 2026.  With Drew Cavanaugh moving up the Giants have room at the A+ level for a catching prospect.

International Bonus Pool Room:  It's my understanding that no actual money changes hands in these deals, rather the receiving team gets more room to spend their own money on international prospect signings.  I really like this part of the deal for the Giants as it shows they still prioritize the international market in the Buster Posey era.

Summary:  It's a bit sad to see Teng traded but the Giants have a logjam of AAA/MLB pitchers and he was probably the most logical to go and they got a legitimate catching prospect with 2 years before Rule 5 eligibilty which is a plus.  He also might have been they could get more for him than other pitchers and the extra international bonus money in addition to a non-40-man roster prospect is not a trivial return.

DrB's 2026 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #15 Daniel Susac

15.  Daniel Susac C.  DOB:  5/142001.  B-R, T-R.  6' 4", 218 lbs.  40-man roster, no options(Rule 5 Draftee via trade).

2025(AAA-Athletics):  .275/.349/.483, 18 HR, 7 SB, 8.6 BB%, 26.8 K%, 407 PA.

Susac is the younger brother of Forever Giant, Andrew Susac.  He was drafted #19 overall by the A's in 2022 and worked his way through their system.  They did not add him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, probably because they have a plethora of young catchers in the organization.  He was selected by the Twins who then traded him to the Giants for a very young catching prospect, Miguel Caraballo, plus cash.  

Why all that is important is Susac has to stay on the 26-man active roster all season or be offered back to the A's in accordance with Rule 5 rules.  It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to give up even a very young prospect for Susac if there is not a strong intention of keeping him all season.  Where the story gets complicated is the Giants also singed veteran catcher, Eric Haase, to a minor league contract with a MLB salary contingent on him making the active roster out of spring training.  He has an opt out so the Giants are not going to be able to keep both.  Haase has a reputation as a poor defensive catcher and has battled some injuries so this all has an eery Tom Murphy vibe to it. 

With a full AAA season under his belt, Susac should be as ready as he'll ever be and looks like the type of asset the Giants would want to keep in the organization.  It's just that back up catcher is an extremely tough gig for him to try to find traction on a MLB career.

DrB's 2025 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #16 Parks Harber

16.  Parks Harber 1B/3B.  DOB:  9/25/2001.  B-R, T-R.  6' 3", 225 lbs.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2027.

2025(A- Yankees):  .304/.422/.551, 3 HR, 4 SB, 14.5 BB%, 26.5 K%, 83 PA.  

2025(A+- Yankees):  .326/.395/.489, 3 HR, 2 SB, 10.5 BB%, 23.0 K%, 152 PA.

2025(A+- Giants):  .333/.454/.644, 7 HR, 14.8 BB%, 20.4 K%, 108 PA.

2025(AFL):  .383/.513/.683, 3 HR, SB, 18.4 BB%, 26.3 K%, 76 PA.

Harber was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Yankees in 2024.  He went undrafted despite hitting 54 home runs in 206 college games.  He's raked everywhere he's played.  The rap on him is defensive limitation due to slow foot speed and lack or arm strength which may limit him to 1B at higher levels.  He did play some innings in RF in the minors and AFL last year.  Perhaps he could be playable in LF?  He should move up to AA in 2026 which is always a challenge for hitters.  I will be following his batting lines with interest.

Armchair GM: Does Buster Have One Last Move?

Per Cot's Contracts website, the signing of Harrison Bader leaves the Giants approximately $26 M under the CBT threshold.  For the sake of this discussion, Buster Posey is willing to use half of that to sign at least one more player while leaving a bit of room for midseason upgrades.  

Question:  What position do you upgrade with that $13 M?  Here are the choices:

Second Base

DH

Starting Rotation

Bullpen

None, keep your powder dry for a bigger midseason move

*Warning:  Rants about ownership not spending enough will not be posted.

DrB's 2026 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #17 Carlos Gutierrez

17.  Carlos Gutierrez OF.  DOB:  8/22/2004.  B-L, T-R, 5' 10", 174 lbs.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2027.

2025(A):  .351/.445/.452, 11 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 26 SB, 12.6 BB%, 13.4 K%, 293 PA.

The numbers speak for themselves.  I saw Gutierrez play for the San Jose Giants last season.  He was easily the best, most athletic looking player on the field.  Unfortunately his season was cut short by a lower back injury and 2025 was not the first season he's missed significant time with injury.  If he can stay healthy, and that's a big if, he could be a breakout prospect in 2026, maybe even into top 100 status.

DrB's 2026 Giants Top 50 Prospects: #18 Dakota Jordan

18.  Dakota Jordan OF.  DOB:  5/9/2003.  B-R, T-R.  6' 0", 220 lbs.  Rule 5 Eligible Dec. 2027.

2025(A):  .311/.377/.497, 15 2B, 6 3B, 14 HR, 27 SB, 8.9 BB%, 22.8 K%, 416 PA.

Dakota Jordan is an extraordinarily physical player.  He looks more like a football linebacker or running back than a baseball player.  Another way to describe him would be a bulked up version of Heliot Ramos.  The Giants drafted him in round 4 2024 draft on the strength of his raw power/speed tool kit.  The big question was the hit tool.  The 2025 season quieted those concerns but I point out A ball is very conservative placement for a 4'th round college draftee.  I am not sure why he wasn't promoted to A+ after a strong first half.  Perhaps he might have been promoted late but he suffered an oblique strain which he aggravated when he tried to return.  

I have him ranked lower as a prospect based on strength of competition and concerns that the football type physicality might not translate well to baseball.  I will add that Jordan is another example of how the Rule 5 Draft rules need to be adjusted to the reality of the later draft date.  He burned up a year of service time toward eligibility in 2024 despite recording just 7 PA's. As a fan of both the player and the team, I find that frustrating.

Hot Stove League Update: Giants Sign Harrison Bader

 One of the Giants goals going into the Hot Stove League was to upgrade their outfield defense.  Over the course of the winter they made some minor acquisitions of Justin Dean and Joey Wiemer who were definitely defensive upgrades but probably not upgrades of overall value due to terrible hitting numbers.  Those guys are long gone and the Giants finally got their upgrade and at a reasonable price.

Harrison Bader OF.  DOB:  6/3/1994.  B-R, T-R.  5' 11", 210 lbs.  2 yr/$20.5 M(+ $500 K in incentives)

2025(Twins/Phillies):  .277/.347/.449, 17 HR, 11 SB, 7.8 BB%, 27.1 K%, 3.2 fWAR.

Bader is coming off the second best season of his career the best being all the way back to 2018.  He had a comparable season in 2021 but a weak bat held him back in the intervening years.  He is a plus defensive CF which the Giants desperately needed. I am sure they will take whatever he can give at the plate.  The other part of this equation is Jung Hoo Lee.  It makes no sense to sign Bader if moving Jung Hoo to RF is not part of the plan.  I assume he was duly informed of this reality at the appropriate time.  Lee has limited range but a strong throwing arm so RF should be a good fit for him.  If he continues to make contact, use all fields and get on base as opposed to trying for Splash Hits, he can be a strong contributor and Bader will improve at least 2 OF positions by his mere presence.  Nice pickup for a reasonable price by the Buster/Zach tandem.