SF Giants Rumor: Former Outfield Prospect “Drawing Strong Interest”

The SF Giants added outfield prospect, Jose Siri, during the season but is now “drawing strong interest” on the free-agent market.

According to Robert Murray of FanSided, former SF Giants outfield prospect Jose Siri is “drawing strong interest” on the free-agent market. Acquired by the Giants during the 2020 season, the 25-year old appears to be a top target for teams looking for upper minor-league depth with some upside.

While the name may not sound familiar to many fans, but the Giants claimed Siri off of waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in March. Siri had spent his entire career in the Reds organization. He remained on the 40-man roster with the Giants for a couple of months before he was designated for assignment and placed on waivers once again.

After going unclaimed, Siri remained with the Giants organization while working out at the alternate training site in Sacramento. San Francisco gave a handful of outfielders at the training site some big-league opportunities, including Steven Duggar and Luis Alexander Basabe, but Siri’s name never got called. At the end of the season, he became a minor-league free agent.

When the Giants originally claimed the right-handed bat, he represented an intriguing, under-the-radar addition. Just a few months later, the foundation is still there for him to be a productive MLB player.

In seven minor league seasons with the Reds, Siri slashed .264/.313/.447 with 68 home runs, 98 doubles, 54 triples, and 270 RBI. He has always demonstrated tantalizing 70 to 80-grade potential power with good speed on the bases, consistently ranking among the Reds top 30 prospects.

However, historically, Siri has struggled with plate discipline. Over his career, he has posted a six percent walk rate against a 27.7 percent strikeout rate. The swing-and-miss is always going to be part of his game, but the Giants hoped that they could help him be more selective at the plate and develop hit tool enough to allow him to more consistently tap into his power.

Furthermore, Siri has the speed, athleticism, and instincts to stick in center field, so even if he does not make major strides at the plate, he has the profile of a solid fourth outfielder.

This winter, Siri is playing in the Dominican Winter League for the second consecutive year. He has posted a .771 OPS and most notably, cut his strikeout and nearly doubled his walk-rate, suggesting he is making strides in his development.

Regardless, it is not surprising to see that the right-handed bat is generating so much buzz. The SF Giants hoped to take advantage of his elite major league tools, but it appears many other organizations are looking to give him an opportunity to do the same for them this offseason.