SF Giants swing trade for brother of 2014 World Series champion after the Rule 5 draft

On Wednesday, the SF Giants did not make a selection in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 draft. They did make a move afterward, trading for 24-year-old backstop Daniel Susac from the Minnesota Twins, per Erioc Logenhagen of Fangraphs.

SF Giants swing trade for brother of 2014 World Series champion after the Rule 5 draft

The A's left Susac unprotected last month, and he was selected with the No. 4 overall pick by the Twins. He was shipped to the Giants shortly thereafter. Of course, Susac is the younger brother of former Giants catcher Andrew Susac. The elder Susac appeared in six major league seasons.

Loganhagen adds that the Giants are sending young catching prospect Miguel Caraballo to complete the deal.

Despite being traded away, Susac is still subject to the rules of the Rule 5 draft. He will need to remain with the Giants for the 2026 season, or else he would need to be returned back to the A's.

Barring a change, Patrick Bailey will enter the year as the everyday backstop. Susac and Jesús Rodríguez will be among the catchers competing for a backup role next spring.

Susac was originally a first-round pick by the A's in 2022 out of the University of Arizona. He has posted a .280/.341/.444 line with a 7.3 percent walk rate, 24.5 percent strikeout rate, and .164 ISO across four minor league. This includes a solid 2025 campaign with the Las Vegas Aviators, where he slashed .275/.349/.483 (94 wRC+) with 18 home runs, 48 runs, and 68 RBI in 407 plate appearances.

Despite the solid overall numbers, Susac was still a below-average hitter in the hitting-friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League.

Susac is a quality receiver with a strong arm behind the plate. He has a lot of experience at catcher, which should give him a leg up on Jesús Rodríguez.

The right-handed hitter flashes quality raw power, as he registered an 86.9 percent average exit velocity in 2025. He pulls the ball with regularity, but a lot of that contact is into the ground. Susac has average bat-to-ball skills, but chases out of the zone too often. He is reliable defensively and can run into a few pitches. That is not a bad profile for backup catcher.

The Giants did lose a pair of prospects as well. Spencer Miles was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays. We spoke with him last month after a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League. Ryan Watson was drafted by the A's, but then traded to the Boston Red Sox.

Both players will need to remain with those organizations for the entire 2026 season, or else they will need to be offered back to the Giants.