SF Giants add 2019 Chicago Cubs draftee on a minor league deal

The SF Giants continue to add minor league pitching depth. They have signed 2019 Chicago Cubs draftee Brad Deppermann to a minor league deal, per the team’s transaction log.

SF Giants add 2019 Chicago Cubs draftee on a minor league deal

Last month, the Giants lost seven players through the Rule 5 draft, including six pitchers. Spencer Miles and Ryan Watson were selected by the Toronto Blue Jays and A’s, respectively, in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. The A’s then shipped Watson to the Boston Red Sox.

Miles and Watson must remain on the active roster with their new clubs in 2026, or else they will need to be offered back to the Giants. More often than not through this channel, players are returned to their original team.

While the Giants lost a lot of minor league pitching depth, they need to rebuild it to support their minor league affiliates through the year. Not every signing is intended to impact the major league roster, but if it does, then that is a win for the organization.

Brad Deppermann was originally a 31st-round pick by the Cubs in the 2014 draft out of East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida. He did not sign. Deppermann was selected again by the Cubs in the seventh round of the 2019 draft out of the University of North Florida. He was one Cubs pick away from an Alex Hinshaw, which is a made up category where a player is drafted by the same team three times. 

Deppermann earned a $50,000 signing bonus. Across six minor league seasons, he has pitched to a 3.59 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, and a 2.75 SO/W rate. This includes a solid 2025 campaign, where he posted a 2.76 ERA with 42 strikeouts against 11 walks across 45.2 innings with the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate.

The right-handed pitcher has thrown primarily out of the bullpen, and not yet pitched above Double-A. Injuries have limited him to just 160.2 innings as a pro. There was also a brief period of time where he was listed as retired.

On the mound, Deppermann features a mid-90’s fastball with a changeup and curveball. The fastball has some riding action up in the zone, and the changeup fades below the zone. Deppermann induces a healthy number of ground balls, and excels at keeping the ball in the ballpark.