Latest signing likely spells the end of veteran catcher's 2nd stint with the SF Giants

The SF Giants have reportedly added veteran catcher Max Stassi to a minor league contract. Stassi gives the Giants depth in the upper minors, but his presence likely spells the end of Curt Casali's second stint with the organization.

Latest signing likely spells the end of veteran catcher's 2nd stint with the SF Giants

It bears mentioning that Stassi has only appeared in five rehab games over the past two years due to a family emergency and a hip injury. It is hard to know exactly what type of workload he can handle after such a long layoff.

With that being said, there are only so many spots on the 40-man roster and in the upper minors. The Giants have Patrick Bailey, Tom Murphy, and Blake Sabol listed as the three catchers on the 40-man roster. Murphy is injury-prone and the organization likely no longer sees Sabol as a catcher, so there is plenty of opportunity for another backstop to make the roster.

On the other hand, Logan Porter and Stassi will likely serve as some of the top non-roster options behind the plate for Sacramento. While teams can never have enough catching, there just may not be enough roster spots to add one more.

That could mean that Curt Casali will likely be looking elsewhere if he does not hang up his cleats after 11 seasons. Murphy landed on the injured list right around the same time that Bailey had two, separate stints on the concussion list.

The team's depth at catcher was tested early on. The Giants addressed some of that issue by bringing back Casali and immediately adding him to the active roster. He did remain with the Giants for the remainder of the year while serving as Bailey's backup.

The production was about what you would expect from an aging catcher as Casali posted a .543 OPS with one home run and eight RBI. He did have a solid 10.4 percent walk rate as he continued to be patient and work counts. Though, he does not offer much offensive value otherwise.

Casali graded out as a below-average defensive catcher plate but there are still elements of defense that are hard to quantify and pitchers did like when he was behind the plate. Plus, he was well respected in the clubhouse.

The addition of Max Stassi gives the Giants a stronger defensive presence at catcher with the ability to replicate or improve upon Casali's offensive output. There is a good chance that any likelihood of Casali returning is gone following the Stassi move.