The Giants wrapped up a quiet but weirdly successful week at the Winter Meetings by trading for Daniel Susac C who was the Twins selection in the Rule 5 Draft. The Giants did not make any selections of their own in the major league phase but lost two minor league pitchers, Spencer Miles RHP and Ryan Watson RHP. They also did not make any selections in the minor league phase but lost 5 more prospects: Junior Flores RHP, Ryan Murphy RHP, Carter Howell OF, Jan Caraballo RHP and Evan Gates RHP. Let's break it down:
Giants acquire:
Daniel Susac C. DOB: 5/14/2001. B-R, T-R. 6' 4", 218 lbs.
2025(AAA): .275/.349/.483, 18 HR, 7 SB, 8.6 BB%, 26.8 K%, 407 PA.
Younger brother of Andrew Susac a former Giants 2'nd round draft pick who got a World Series Ring for his contributions to the 2014 World Series Championship team. Those look like nice numbers from AAA but he played his home games in Las Vegas which is an extreme hitter's environment. He will compete for a back up catcher role in 2026 but must be kept on the Giants active roster all season or be offered back to the A's. The other catching prospect expected to compete for a back up role in spring training is Jesus Rodriguez but JRod has 2 options so if the Giants want to keep both players in the organization they can do that by using Susac as the back up catcher for the MLB team with Rodriguez getting more salt in AAA Sacramento. I think Rodriguez has some positional flexibility so if the Giants really like his bat, they could roster both at the MLB level.
Giants trade:
Miguel Caraballo C. DOB: 8/26/2008. B-S, T-R. 6' 0", 190 lbs.
2025(DSL): .264/.432/.442, 5 HR, 8 SB, 16.6 BB%, 22.5 K%, 169 PA.
So I'm not so sure how down I am with this trade. Caraballo put up better than decent numbers as a 16 year old in the DSL. He's a switch-hitting catcher. I get that it's going be at least 3 more seasons before he reaches the upper majors and most likely will never see the major leagues but oof! This one feels like it could come back to bite in about, oh, 5-6 years. Oh well, a bird in the hand......I guess it comes down to one lottery ticket for another and the one the Giants are left holding might pay off now, rather than 5 or 6 years from now.
The Giants lose(at least temporarily):
Spencer Miles RHP. DOB: 7/26/2000. 6' 3", 180 lbs. 2025(AFL): 2-0, 4.15, 8.2 IP, 12 K, 1 BB.
Ryan Watson RHP. DOB: 11/15/1997. 6' 5", 225 lbs. 2025(AAA): 4-3, 4.26, 50.2 IP, 11.37 K/9, 2.84 BB/9.
The Giants drafted Miles in the 4'th round in 2022. He was beset by injuries limiting him to just 14.2 IP in his pro career so far. He's always had good stuff and he reportedly had electric stuff in the Arizona Fall League which is probably what led to him being selected today. Those are excellent numbers Ryan Watson given the strongly negative pitching environment in the PCL. Selecting teams must keep Miles and Watson in their active roster all season or offer them back to the Giants which I have to think the Giants would accept.
The Giants lose(probably permanently):
Junior Flores RHP. DOB: 2/13/2002. 6' 1", 170 lbs. 2025(A/A+): 0-0, 3.38, 10.2 IP, 8.44 K/9, 8.44 BB/9, 1 Save. International prospect in the organization since 2021. Has never pitched impressively.
Ryan Murphy RHP. DOB: 10/8/1999. 6' 1", 190 lbs. 2025(A/AA): 0-1, 5.59, 19.1 IP, 6.05 K/9, 4.19 BB/9. Was not able to replicate early pro success at higher levels and ran into injury issues.
Carter Howell OF. DOB: 2/7/1999. B-R, T-R. 6' 0", 200 lbs. 2025(AA): .221/.304/.335, 7 HR, 8 SB, 8.2 BB%, 21.6 K%, 439 PA. NDFA. Seemed to hit a wall last season after a promising start to his pro career.
Jan Caraballo RHP. DOB: 10/20/2003. 6' 6", 181 lbs. 2025(ACL): 0-0, 4.30, 14.2 IP, 10.43 K/9, 2.45 BB/9, 2 Saves. I'm always a little extra interested in young pitching prospects who are 6' 6" tall but Caraballo was in the organization 5 seasons without making much of an impact. Giants have a lot of young pitching talent in the lower minors so probably just didn't have roster room to protect him.
Evan Gates RHP. DOB: 1/13/1998. 6' 0", 210 lbs. 2025(AA): 3-2, 3.23, 69.2 IP, 10.33 K/9, 4.00 BB/9, 5 Saves. NDFA from 2021. Always posted strong strikeout numbers and decent ERA's. Walk rates were not ideal but he induced more GB's than FB's. He's a guy I might have wanted to hang onto but again, the Giants have a lot of young pitching.
Comment: The Giants seem to be tickled pink with acquiring Daniel Susac. My problem is I'm not convinced he's going to stick as the back up catcher all season and I really, really hate to see them trade the kid, Miguel Caraballo. There is a good chance Miles and Watson find their way back to the Giants system. No huge losses in the minor league phase.
Given how horrible the giants back up catchers performed last season and how poorly their back up catchers generally perform, the bar isn’t high at all for Susac. He can EASILY stick around in the MLB for the season if the giants really want him. He could hit terribly and still be a better hitter than their back ups last year. Like I said, the bar isn’t high here.
ReplyDeleteKnizner hit .306/422/389 in the second half last year. Here's what A's GM David Forst had to say about Susac:
Delete"The catch-and-throw skills have gotten a lot better," Forst said. "He may be challenged offensively. Vegas has a way of helping some guys' numbers, but that's the case with anybody in this situation. The bat will determine probably if he's able to stick or not.
"He has a chance to be in a good situation and they can get him good matchups and that's when it does work out for guys, is when they have a specific role and fill it."
He added that Susac "has made some strides defensively."
So yeah, I never said Susac COULDN'T stick for the season, I'm just not convinced he will.
Why didn't they just deal directly with the A's and eliminate the rule 5 roster rules from the equation?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the A's GM, the Giants did inquire about Susac but couldn't agree on a price. So the A's lose him for nothing in return and the Twins get the lottery ticket prospect. Moneyball!
DeleteYtY gets 2-year deal from the Braves with a club option for a 3rd year.
ReplyDeleteYastrzemski will earn $9 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027. The deal includes a club option worth $7 million for the 2028 season, with a $4 million buyout.
Atlanta will be in SF for a 3-game weekend series beginning Friday June 26th.
I am very happy for YtY that he's finally getting a payday that should set him up for life. I'm also happy it's not the Giants who are paying it.
Delete" I'm also happy it's not the Giants who are paying it."
DeleteA great Brisbee-style" comment
The Giants have a way to go to match the Mets with Alonso, Díaz and Nimmo headed out of town while SF loses YtY to the Orioles...
ReplyDeleteSeems like Buster and the Giants very low key came away winners at the Winter Meetings.
DeleteDo you think that playing for Vitello in college helps or hurts the 4 former Tennessee players (Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell, Gavin Kilen, and Maui Ahuna)?
ReplyDeleteOr makes no difference?
They all were very good (duh, 2 first round picks, 1 second round, and a 4th rounder).
Kilen was picked the highest (13th overall). Gilbert was also a 1st round pick (28th overall).
Probably doesn't hurt but I am sure Vitello is a results-oriented guy who will make decisions based on who is going to help the team win.
Deletestill pretty quiet. I sort of liked last season's hurrah with Adames but can understand if the better deals will take time. Will they sign a free agent starting pitcher? Would you rather have Susac or Bart as your backup catcher?
ReplyDeleteThe Susac trade is growing on me. I just watched some video clips of his minor league highlights from 2024 and 2025. He is a big kid, but I think looks a bit more trim and athletic than Bart. I really like his swing. Short and direct to the ball with power to all fields. I don't have any kind of read for his defense. I'll say we pretty much know what Joey Bart is. I think I'll take a flyer on the uncertain promise of Susac. Having said that, back up catcher is an extremely difficult role to succeed in.
Delete