Giants sign former division rival to minor-league contract

The San Francisco Giants have added some infield depth to their roster. While Marco Luciano is the odds-on favorite to be the Giants Opening Day shortstop on March 28th, he'll now have some stiff competition from former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Nick Ahmed.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the Giants signed Ahmed to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. Ahmed, who's battled injuries the past few seasons is already present in the Giants clubhouse.

Ahmed has always been known as a glove-first shortstop, as evidenced by his back-to-back Gold Glove Awards in 2018 and 2019. At the plate, however, Ahmed has failed to produce an OPS+ over 100 throughout his entire 10-year career.

SF Giants sign former division rival, Nick Ahmed, to minor-league contract

Ahmed, who was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves, spent his entire major league career with the D-backs. But a shoulder injury in 2022 completely derailed his career, and after posting a .560 OPS through 72 games last season, Arizona made the decision to designate Ahmed for assignment.

Ahmed's signing likely torpedoes any notion there may have been for a reunion with Brandon Crawford. After an MVP-caliber season for the Giants two years ago, Crawford hit just .216/.293/.332 over the past two seasons combined.

Ahmed will look to give the Giants' young shortstop, Luciano, a run for his money during spring training. San Francisco also has the likes of Tyler Fitzgerald and Casey Schmidtt vying for a spot on the Giants Opening Day roster.

If Nick Ahmed is fully healthy, it brings a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop to the Giants clubhouse. If Ahmed is unable to turn back the clock, it's only a minor-league pact, so the San Francisco Giants have nothing to lose in this scenario. At the very least, a healthy Ahmed would give new Giants manager Bob Melvin a reliable glove to turn to in the event Luciano endures some early-season struggles.