The SF Giants outright 5 players off of the 40-man roster

The back-end of the SF Giants 40-man roster was on the softer side, so they made a series of deletions from the roster in preparation for the offseason. Austin Dean, Bryce Johnson, Taylor Jones, Ford Proctor, and Zack Littell were outrighted to Sacramento per the team's transaction log.

The SF Giants outright 5 players off of the 40-man roster

Jones, Dean, and Littell have accrued enough service time to elect free agency, so they will hit the open market. On the other hand, Proctor and Johnson will remain in the Giants organization for now.

Perhaps, the most notable player from the bunch was Littell. The veteran reliever put together a solid season in 2021 as he registered a 2.92 ERA in 63 appearances. However, he was unable to replicate that performance this year. The righty struggled to the tune of a 5.08 ERA in 39 appearances.

Plus, Littell had a heated exchange with Giants manager Gabe Kapler on the mound in September and it felt like his Giants tenure ended that night. Littell was eligible for arbitration this winter with a projected salary of $900,000. The Giants could have certainly afforded that amount but they likely will be able to find better value elsewhere.

Dean, Johnson, and Proctor appeared briefly for the Giants at the end of the season. Dean recorded three hits with one walk in nine plate appearances, whereas Johnson tallied two hits in 18 at-bats for the Giants late in the year.

Proctor finished the season with San Francisco and had a memorable moment as his first career home run was a grand slam. In total, The left-handed bat registered two hits in 18 at-bats but with six RBI.

The middle infield prospect has a unique skill set as he has experience at catcher as well. There are not many players who can play the field as well as behind the dish. He gives the Giants depth in a couple of areas.

Lastly, Taylor Jones was plucked off of waivers from the Houston Astros late in the season. The 6-foot-7 outfielder did not appear with the Giants, but he posted a .796 OPS in 29 plate appearances for the Sacramento River Cats.

The Giants will likely have more activity in the coming days as they prepare to protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft. The 40-man roster is currently full, so they will need to trim it if they plan on making any roster additions.