SF Giants ship multi-positional catcher to Red Sox in flurry of roster moves

Both Austin Warren and Blake Sabol had their waiver statuses resolved on Wednesday. Warren was claimed by the New York Mets, whereas the SF Giants shipped Sabol to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for international bonus pool money, per the team's transaction log.

SF Giants ship multi-positional catcher to Red Sox in flurry of roster moves

The Giants also made another minor trade, sending 2022 third-round pick William Kempner to the Miami Marlins in exchange for more international bonus pool money. The Giants had never acquired international bonus pool money in a trade prior to Wednesday and they did so twice in one day.

This was done because Josuar De Jesus González received a larger signing bonus than expected. He received a $2,997,500 bonus according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.

On the other hand, the Giants placed both Warren and Sabol on waivers earlier this month. Warren was designated for assignment when catcher Sam Huff was claimed off of waivers from the Texas Rangers.

Not long after adding another catcher, Sabol was placed on waivers to make room for Justin Verlander. While Sabol has experience at catcher, first base, and left field, the new coaching staff was not motivated to see him behind the plate. It bears mentioning that he did put in a lot of work to learn the nuances of the position but it is a hard role to learn as a pro.

The Giants did not receive anything in return from the Mets for claiming Warren. The veteran pitcher appeared briefly for San Francisco last season, posting a 1.69 ERA in 10.2 innings.

The final move was a bit of a surprise. William Kempner was shipped to the Marlins after missing the 2024 season due to injury.

The Giants selected Kempner in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Gonzaga University. They hoped that he would be able to stick in the rotation with his funky arm slot. However, he struggled to find a consistent release point with the side-arm delivery from the right side.

That said, the 23-year-old's delivery does add a level of deception that was tough on opposing hitters. In 2023, he posted a 3.73 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 62.2 innings split across three levels before missing the 2024 season. The Giants did have Kempner pitch briefly in the Arizona Fall League.