SF Giants release trio of minor leaguers, including recent acquisition

The SF Giants trimmed the Triple-A roster on Wednesday. A trio of minor leaguers including Jacob Nottingham, outfielder Clint Coulter, and pitcher Jorge Guzmán were released according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants release trio of minor leaguers, including recent acquisition

Perhaps, the most notable from the group was Nottingham. The Giants just swung a trade to acquire the experienced backstop from the Seattle Mariners last month. He was acquired at a time when Patrick Bailey had already been promoted to the major league roster and Joey Bart was still out with an injury, so the Giants had a pressing need at catcher.

Nottingham did well in his brief stint with the organization, registering a .262/.360/.415 line with two home runs, nine RBI, and 10 runs in 75 plate appearances with the Sacramento River Cats. Bart was optioned in the middle of June and has handled the bulk of the playing time since then.

This pushed Nottingham into a backup role. The 28-year-old could have requested his release given that playing time at his primary position was dwindling. He should have no problem finding his next opportunity as it was not that long ago when he shuttled between the Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers multiple times in 2021. This is one of the unfortunate side effects of the waiver wire.

The Giants added Clint Coulter this past offseason on a minor-league deal that included a camp invite. He was originally drafted as a catcher out of high school, but quickly transitioned to the outfield. Though, he continued to see occasional playing time behind the plate throughout the years. That did not occur with the Giants.

The right-handed bat put up a respectable .243/.332/.403 line with six home runs, 39 RBI, and 41 runs in 235 plate appearances with the River Cats.

Lastly, Jorge Guzmán will join Coulter and Nottingham on the open market. Guzmán signed a minor-league deal with the Giants in February of 2022. He did receive an invite to spring training for 2023.

On the surface, the right-handed hurler performed well as he posted a 3.00 ERA in 36 innings for the River Cats. However, this came with a 6.31 FIP and he had exactly as many strikeouts (26) as walks (26), so the underlying numbers were less promising. At one point, Guzmán was regarded as one of the better prospects in baseball, so he should have no problem finding a new team.