SF Giants take a flyer on former left-handed hitting All-Star

This may be the quiet part of the MLB offseason, but the SF Giants have made a move. They have signed left-handed hitting infielder Jake Lamb to a minor league deal. Many Giants fans may remember him from his days with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This news comes via Jon Heyman of the New York Post who reported the signing on X. Lamb spent his first six and a half big league seasons as a member of the Diamondbacks where he had some great success. In the 2016 and 2017 seasons the third baseman put up great numbers, slashing .248/.345/.498 with 59 home runs and 196 RBI. He earned an All-Star nod in 2017 for his solid play.

SF Giants sign former All-Star Jake Lamb

However, since then he has never matched the success he enjoyed early in his career. After getting traded from the Diamondbacks to the Oakland A's in 2020, he has bounced around a lot. He has appeared in big league games for the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, and Los Angeles Angels. He last appeared in majors with the Angels in 2023 and spent 2024 in the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. His numbers have been middling to unremarkable which makes the Giants signing him a fairly low-risk move.

As part of his contract he will receive an invite to spring training. He will need to have a hot spring to make the big league club out of camp because there is not a clear place for him on the roster. With Matt Chapman at third base, Wilmer Flores and LaMonte Wade Jr. at first, and Mike Yastrzemski in right field, Lamb could really only be a potential depth piece or an option at the designated hitter spot in the lineup.

It is never a bad idea to take a flyer on a guy who has had success in the past with a spring training invite. The Giants did it last year with shortstop Nick Ahmed and he performed well enough to earn the starting shortstop role for the team. Then there are other spring training success stories from the past like Justin Maxwell.

We will see if Lamb has anything left in the tank, but even if he does not this is a solid depth move by the Giants.