SF Giants re-sign power-hitting catcher/outfielder to minor league deal

The SF Giants made a minor move recently to bolster the Triple-A roster. They re-signed power-hitting catcher Jakson Reetz to a minor league deal, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants re-sign power-hitting catcher/outfielder to minor league deal

It is not yet known if the deal includes a camp invite. That said, teams often carry a lot of catchers in spring training, so it would not be too surprising.

The 27-year-old was originally a third-round pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2014 draft out of Norris High School in Firth, Nebraska. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Nationals organization.

Washington added Reetz to the 40-man roster in 2021 and he received a brief cup of coffee with the club that same season. Of course, that came against the Giants where he laced a double to right field for his first and only hit in the majors up until this point. Reetz was outrighted off of the 40-man roster in the following offseason.

The right-handed bat joined the Milwaukee Brewers organization for the 2022 season. He was briefly added to their 40-man roster before being designated for assignment, clearing waivers, and electing free agency.

Reetz caught on with the Kansas City Royals organization to finish out the year and re-signed with them for the 2023 season. This felt like a good landing spot given that the Royals are very much in a rebuild.

However, Reetz could not crack the major league roster given that Salvador Perez
and Freddy Fermin were firmly entrenched as the starter and backup, respectively. The veteran minor leaguer was released at the start of the 2023 campaign and joined the Giants organization on a minor league deal.

He performed well, slashing .227/.338/.825 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, and 23 runs in 216 plate appearances with Sacramento while splitting time between catcher and left field. This included an 11.1 percent walk rate, 25.9 percent strikeout rate, and a .250 ISO.

Overall, Reetz has posted a .759 OPS across nine minor league seasons. He rejoins an organization that is still light on catching depth in the upper minors. Patrick Bailey is slated to be the starter with both Blake Sabol and Joey Bart looking to make the club out of camp. There should be plenty of at-bats for Reetz behind the dish in Triple-A next season.