There were no surprises before Friday’s deadline for the Giants to make decisions on their arbitration-eligible players.
Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and right-hander Austin Warren signed one-year deals, and the Giants tendered contracts to first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and relievers Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval. They still could trade one or more of the players down the line, but at an important offseason deadline, they decided to keep them all under team control, at least.
Yastrzemski was the most interesting decision in his final year of arbitration, but he agreed to a deal that will pay him $9.25 million next season, per a source. While he got off to a slow start, Yastrzemski finished with a wRC+ of 106 and hit 18 homers. He was a Gold Glove finalist for the second time, and the Giants have made it clear that they want to prioritize defense next season.
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"Yaz ended up finishing with a productive year," general manager Zack Minasian said on this week's "Giants Talk" episode. "He's a quality defender, can play all three spots, so certainly we're happy to have those three. Like anything else, any time there are available players it's going through the process and trying to determine if the cost is worth it."
Like Yastrzemski, Wade could be a trade candidate at some point, although it was a no-brainer to tender him a contract in the meantime. He's projected to make about $4.7 million in arbitration and is coming off a year in which he posted a .380 on-base percentage and 119 wRC+. The Giants eventually will need to get more power out of first base, but top prospect Bryce Eldridge is expected to start the year in Triple-A and should be ready at some point in 2025.
The Rogers and Doval decisions were easy, although the relievers are coming off very different seasons. Rogers led the NL in appearances for a second time and had a 2.82 ERA while primarily serving as a setup man. He'll pitch in either the seventh or eighth inning next season.
Doval could take the other one if he can find his form. His walk rate spiked in 2024 and his ERA jumped to 4.88, but he's a 27-year-old who is a year removed from being an MLB All-Star and still sits in triple digits. The Giants are expecting a return to his old ways, which would give them one of the best late-game trios in the big leagues in Rogers, Doval and closer Ryan Walker.
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Rogers is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to make about $5.5 million in arbitration. Doval is projected at $4.6 million. The Giants also non-tendered pitchers Ethan Small and Kai-Wei Teng, bringing their 40-man roster down to 39 players.
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