SF Giants Caleb Barager and Hunter Harvey do not clear waivers

The SF Giants made several additions to the 40-man roster last week that resulted in some tough decisions. Caleb Barager and Hunter Harvey were both designated for assignment in a roster crunch, but they did not clear waivers.

SF Giants Caleb Barager and Hunter Harvey do not clear waivers

Baragar will stay in the NL West as he was claimed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, whereas Harvey will join the Washington Nationals. The Giants have built up enough depth that it would have been difficult for either Baragar or Harvey to carve out roles on the 2022 roster.

San Francisco has seen a lot of Baragar in recent seasons, but Harvey came over this past offseason as a waiver claim from the Baltimore Orioles. Baragar was originally drafted in the ninth round out of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

The left-handed hurler originally came up as a starter, but transitioned to the bullpen once he was added to the 40-man roster just before the 2020 season. As a rookie, he registered a 4.03 ERA in 24 appearances and followed that up with a 1.57 ERA in 25 appearances last season.

In total, he has recorded a 2.78 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.16 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, and a 2.06 SO/W ratio in 45.1 frames in a Giants uniform. It is odd that the Giants gave up on the 27-year-old pitcher given that he excelled at run prevention, but they likely think that the sub-3.0 ERA is not reflective of his actual performance.

The Giants are slated to face the Diamondbacks 19 times this year, so the chances are good that they will see him again on the mound.

On the other hand, Harvey leaves the Giants before he even got a chance to throw a pitch. The 27-year-old hurler was originally drafted by the Orioles in the first round of the 2013 draft out of Bandys High School in Catawba, North Carolina.

Despite his status as a former first round pick, Harvey never got an extended look with the Orioles. He appeared in parts of three seasons with Baltimore but he posted a 3.42 ERA with 23 strikeouts against nine walks in only 23.2 innings.

He joins a Nationals team that is in a transition phase. Harvey flashes a high-90's fastball and has a minor league option remaining, so he has some utility on a roster that is in need of depth. The Giants likely did not want to lose either arm, but they have built up enough inventory that made the losses more tolerable.