One need the SF Giants created after the moves made at the non-tender deadline

On Friday the SF Giants created a need on the roster after designating Andrew Knizner for assignment. That only gives them two catchers in Patrick Bailey and Jesús Rodríguez on the 40-man roster, so that now needs to be an area to add depth.

One need the SF Giants created after the moves made at the non-tender deadline

Knizner was projected to earn $1.3 million through arbitration, so cost was not much of a factor. He was one of three arbitration-eligible players for the Giants this offseason, but they only retained JT Brubaker.

The veteran backstop's case was an extremely borderline one. He came to the Giants as a minor league signing midway through the 2025 season. They added him to the active roster in June, and he remainded with the club for the remainder of the year.

Knizner posted a .598 OPS with one home run and five RBI in 88 plate appearances. He did not offer much with the bat, but was a serviceable catcher on defense. That is typically the profile for a backup catcher.

The Giants' depth chart now consists of Patrick Bailey and Jesús Rodríguez. They believe that
Rodríguez can become a reliable catcher with more reps, but it also looked like he was a work in progress during his brief time with the Sacramento River Cats.

In the upper minors, Logan Porter saw considerable time behind the plate with the River Cats in 2025. Adrián Sugastey is an excellent defensive catcher, but a below-average hitter with occasional power. Former top prospect Diego Cartaya was not among the minor leaguers to elect free agency earlier this month. Presumably, he is still with the organization.

The Giants will want to add more experienced depth. That was the case before the Knizner decision, but the move does add a little more urgency to the position.

The free-agent market is extremely light on options. J.T. Realmuto is at the top of that group, and is still an everyday catcher. Danny Jansen would be an excellent fit, but he is likely looking for more playing time than the Giants can offer. The same is true for Victor Caratini.

The drop-off in production is substantial after that. The remaining options might offer a slightly different skillset than Knizner, but overall, not much more value.

Christian Vázquez is now a free agent after three seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He does not offer anything offensively, but he is still a solid defensive catcher. Plus, new Giants coach Jayce Tingler served as a bench coach while Vázquez was with the Twins, so it could open the door to a non-roster invite.

That said, the goal should be to complement Bailey with a quality, right-handed-hitting catcher. Gary Sánchez fits this description, but there is a trade-off made defensively. That is a trade-off that teams do not like to make.

The Giants will be in the market for pitching this offseason. The need for catching depth is much lower on the priority list, but it is a priority.