No surprises for SF Giants at non-tender deadline as they retain all five arbitration-eligible players
In very SF Giants fashion, they waited until long after the 5:00 PM cutoff on Friday to announce their decisions for the non-tender deadline. When it was all said and done, there were no surprises as they retained all five of their arbitration-eligible players, per a team announcement.
No surprises for SF Giants at non-tender deadline as they retain all five arbitration-eligible players
The Giants signed Mike Yastrzemski to a $9.25 million deal for 2025 according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.Com. This is the veteran outfielder's final trip through the arbitration process and there was some level of uncertainty as to whether the club would tender him a deal.
The Giants have hinted all along that they were planning to keep Yastrzemski as this is a player they value for his contributions both on and off the field. By agreeing to a deal ahead of the deadline, the Giants sidestepped any uncertainty as to whether he would be tendered a deal and provided clarity about his salary for next season.
The Giants could still look to move the left-handed bat. And, that is the case with any of the other players who were tendered deals for 2025.
Similar to Yastrzemski, the Giants agreed to a contract with Austin Warren according to Justice delos Santos of the Bay Area News Group. The financial details are not yet known but he should receive a small bump from his $755,000 salary last season. Warren posted a 1.69 ERA across 10.2 innings with San Francisco in 2024.
The Giants did tender contracts to Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval, and LaMonte Wade Jr. as well. However, they were unable to agree to terms on a 2025 salary with any of those three players yet.
More often than not, that step normally takes place in January. There is a deadline for which the team and player can work toward a salary for the upcoming season. Once that deadline passes, it is a sign that both parties will go to arbitration and allow a third party to settle the case.
In recent years, the Giants have employed a file-and-trial approach where negotiations essentially cease at the deadline and do not resume until they meet for arbitration. It is a terrible process and the optics of it are even worse. Hopefully, the Giants discontinue this strategy in favor of one where both parties work toward a deal in good faith.
Both Wade Jr. and Rogers will be entering the arbitration process for the final time this winter. On the other hand, this will be Doval's first trip.