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SF Giants re-sign top 2019 international free agent to minor league deal

A reunion of sorts...
ByJeff Young
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Apr 15, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of a Giants game hat on the dugout steps, with a patch honoring Jackie Robinson during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Players and coaches will wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day around the league. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Apr 15, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of a Giants game hat on the dugout steps, with a patch honoring Jackie Robinson during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Players and coaches will wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day around the league. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The SF Giants had a handful of minor leaguers elect free agency earlier in November. They have brought at least one of those players back, as Esmerlin Vinicio has been re-signed to a minor league deal, per the team’s transaction log.

Vinicio headlined the Giants 2019-2020 international free agency class. He earned a $750,000 signing bonus out of the Dominican Republic.

That class also included Adrián Sugastey and Aeverson Arteaga. Similar to Vinicio, Arteaga became a free agent earlier this month.

Sugastey was eligible to reach the open market, but that has not been reflected yet. Presumably, it means that he was re-signed to a minor league deal before the cutoff to become a free agent.

On the other hand, Vinicio was viewed as the top prospect in the Giants’ 2019-2020 international class. MLB Pipeline had him as the No. 23 prospect in his signing class.

Esmerlin Vinicio saw better results for the SF Giants out of the bullpen

Oddly enough, Vinicio’s agreement was not the largest bonus handed out by the Giants during that cycle. Aeverson Arteaga led the way with a $1 million signing bonus out of Venezuela.

Vinicio was viewed as a relatively polished pitcher for his age, and the Giants brought him along as a starter early on. He could throw strikes, but did not overpower with velocity or stuff. That said, Vinicio’s ability to locate his pitches led to high strikeout rates in the lower minors.

Like many prospects who began pro ball around that time, the southpaw pitcher’s development was impacted by the canceled 2020 development. He did not make it fully out of rookie ball until 2023.

By that time, Vinicio had started to split time in the rotation and bullpen. His workload out of the rotation declined sharply in the ensuing seasons. In 2026, he worked primarily out of the bullpen and had one of his best seasons yet.

The 23-year-old pitcher posted a 3.14 ERA with 60 strikeouts and 23 walks in 51.2 frames for the Eugene Emeralds. He earned a late-season promotion to the Richmond Flying Squirrels, where he recorded a 4.15 ERA across 13 innings.

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