SF Giants release veteran reliever after brief stint with the organization

The SF Giants added veteran reliever Cody Stashak on a minor league deal late in the 2023 season. His run with the organization turned out to be a brief one as he was recently released from the Triple-A roster, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants release veteran reliever after brief stint with the organization

Adding Stashak was one of those signings that could have quietly pay dividends down the road. However, that did not come to fruition for one reason or another.

The right-handed hurler was selected in the 13th round of the 2015 draft by the Minnesota Twins out of St. John's University in Queens, New York. Interestingly, he played at the same college as Joe Panik, but they were never on the same team.

Stashak came up as a starter, and despite solid results in that role, he transitioned to the bullpen while pitching in the upper minors. This might have been the fastest way for him to reach the majors as well as a way to stay on the mound from a health standpoint.

Overall, his results in the minors were solid, posting a 3.24 ERA, 9.2 K/9, and a 4.38 SO/W ratio across eight seasons. The 29-year-old debuted in 2019 and tallied a 4.13 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, and a 5.93 SO/W ratio in four seasons with the Twins.

His ERA is a tad inflated from the 6.89 mark he registered in 2021, but his sub-three FIP and excellent SO/W rate throughout his career showed signs for promise. And, these were likely a few of the reasons why the Giants signed him.

Stashak underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder in 2022 and elected free agency after being outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He continued to rehab from surgery and caught on briefly with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball before joining the Giants.

The righty reliever yielded seven earned runs across five innings with the Sacramento River Cats before the end of the season. It did not amount to much in terms of impacting the 40-man roster, but adding Stashak was an interesting idea.