SF Giants lose four minor leaguers in series of roster moves

Teams usually do some organizational trimming near the start of the season and that process began for the SF Giants recently. The Giants released outfielder Harrison Freed, infielder Yorlis Rodriguez, and pitcher Jonathan Bermudez. Similarly, pitcher John Gavin has decided to retire according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants lose four minor leaguers in series of roster moves

Gavin was an eighth round pick by the Giants in the 2017 draft out of California State University - Fullerton. San Francisco only has a handful of prospects remaining from that draft including Heliot Ramos, Keaton Winn, and Seth Corry.

The left-handed hurler's career got off to a positive start as he posted a 2.87 ERA across 31 starts during his first full season as a pro in 2018. This included an midseason promotion from Low-A to High-A after 20 starts.

However, Gavin struggled in his second turn at High-A in the following season as he tallied a 5.38 ERA in 34 appearances. He missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic and injury, respectively. The pitching prospect returned to the mound last year as he posted a 3.13 ERA in 24 appearances before deciding to hang up his spikes for good.

Perhaps, Freed is the most notable name to be released. The Giants selected him in the 13th round of the 2019 draft out of Butler University. He never made it above Low-A and posted a .738 OPS in three minor league seasons.

On the other hand, Yorlis Rodriguez was coming off of a nice season. The right-handed bat slashed .258/.291/.425 with 16 home runs in 459 plate appearances for the San Jose Giants. The middle infield prospect registered a .735 OPS in four seasons as a pro with last season being his best.

Jonathan Bermudez briefly spent time on the 40-man roster last year but not many people may remember it. He was claimed off of waivers from the Houston Astros near the end of August but he was quickly outrighted off of the roster. The lefty remained with Triple-A to finish the season, posting a 9.22 ERA with the Sacramento River Cats.

He has some experience at Triple-A under his belt, so Bermudez should land with another team this year. That may not be the case with everyone who is released as options can run dry pretty quickly.