Luis Matos era may not be over just yet for SF Giants despite DFA

When the SF Giants designated outfielder Luis Matos for assignment last week ahead of setting the Opening Day, or Night, or whatever you want to call it, roster, it seemed like his Giants tenure was over. That may not be the case though.

After the Giants officially DFA'd him on March 25, that gave the team five days to try and work out a trade for him. It makes sense for the Giants to at least try to get something for the young bat, but if they cannot figure something out then they will have to put him on waivers where he can be claimed by another team.

SF Giants could still potentially retain outfielder Luis Matos

It stands to reason that some team will take a shot on Matos. He is still just 24 years old and has a ton of promise, but there is a chance that he could slip through the cracks and go unclaimed. If that happens, he would get out-righted to Triple-A Sacramento and stay with the organization.

President of baseball operations Buster Posey said that the Giants would love to have Matos back if he clears waivers. It certainly wouldn't hurt having some added outfield depth even though the Giants are already pretty set in Triple-A with the likes of Grant McCray, Will Brennan, and Drew Gilbert.

Matos seems like a good candidate for a rebuilding team though. When he's shown flashes of his potential with the Giants over the last few years it has been when he gets regular playing time. It seems unlikely he will be afforded that with the Giants this season because they have so much depth in the outfield.

It's important to remember that the only reason Heliot Ramos got a lot of playing time back in 2024 was because there were a bunch of injuries in the outfield so sometimes that's what it takes to get a guy in the lineup.

Over the course of three big league seasons, Matos has slashed .231/.281/.369 with 15 homers and 61 runs batted in. He's a streaky hitter so he can get hot and carry a lineup like he did for a little last season but can then go ice-cold. His 2026 spring training was emblematic of that as he got off to a hot start in the Cactus League before cooling off.

It's not unprecedented for a promising player to go unclaimed. Remember back to just last year when the Giants DFA'd David Villar and he ended up clearing waivers and going to Sacramento. He even got called up later in the season after he hit well in Triple-A but was let go again later in the year.

Early in the season teams may not want to shake up the roster too much or have to make corresponding moves on the 40-man roster so it is not unheard of.

Matos will probably be claimed, but there is a chance that he could remain with the organization if he goes unclaimed in the coming days.