SF Giants add another lefty, sign former Rays prospect to minor league deal

The SF Giants added another lefty to the organization. This time, they agreed to a minor league deal with former Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Antonio Jimenez according to the team's transaction log. Presumably, the deal comes with a camp invite given that he threw in camp for the Rays last spring.

SF Giants add another lefty, sign former Rays prospect to minor league deal

So far, All of their work on the left-handed-pitching market has been in minor league free agency. Jimenez joins Ethan Small and Raymond Burgos as lefties the Giants have signed to minors pacts this winter.

Small and Burgos spent the 2024 season with the Giants organization, so they are returning. On the other hand, Jimenez originally signed with the Rays organization as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic and has spent his entire career with them up until this point.

The Giants could use the pitching depth from the left side. They have Erik Miller and Taylor Rogers as their only left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster currently. Manager Bob Melvin often went to Miller as his go-to lefty out of the bullpen, whereas Rogers was typically used in lower-leverage spots. They should look to add another southpaw reliever in major league free agency with names like Scott Alexander or Tim Hill making sense.

Jimenez worked as a starter earlier in his career but he has shifted to the bullpen in recent seasons. He has pitched to a 3.42 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, and a 2.52 SO/W rate across six minor league seasons. This includes a solid 2024 campaign in which he registered a 3.79 ERA with 58 strikeouts against 22 walks in 61.2 frames split between Double-A and Triple-A.

The 23-year-old has yielded four runs in 4.1 innings with Toros del Este of the Dominican Winter League. That said, the results in winter ball are not always indicative of regular season performance.

On the mound, the 5-foot-11 pitcher has a loose arm action, so the ball does tend to get in on opposing hitters quickly. He flashes a low-to-mid 90's fastball with a slider and a changeup. The slider generates good, two-plane movement, whereas he tunnels the changeup well with his fastball.