Twenty-nine minor leaguers in the Giants’ organization are now free agents. The list includes 17 pitchers and 12 hitters.
The most notable names on the Giants’ list are infielders Jason Krizan and Arismendy Alcántara as well as veteran starter Matt Shoemaker.
Krizan, 32, has played pro ball since 2011 but has yet to make his MLB debut. He was named the Sacramento River Cats’ team MVP after leading Triple-A West in hits (136) while recording a .316 batting average.
The Giants signed Alcántara in January. The 30-year-old has 167 games of big league experience and recorded a .923 OPS in Sacramento. Without an urgent need in middle infield and with multiple other prospects, there doesn’t appear to be a path for Alcántara to contribute to San Francisco.
Shoemaker, 26, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2014 but has largely struggled since. The Giants added him to the organization in August after he recorded an 8.06 ERA with the Minnesota Twins. Shoemaker made 11 starts for the River Cats, registering a 3.97 ERA.
Outfielder Braden Bishop was also one of Sacramento’s best hitters after joining the organization in May.
There are several ways minor leaguers can become free agents The most common avenue in the offseason is Rule 9 (formerly Rule 55) in which a prospect plays at least seven seasons without being on a big league club’s 40-man roster. San Francisco can still retain these players by agreeing to a minor league deal.
For more detailed rules on minor league free agency, here’s the official language.
Minor league free agency is different from the Rule 5 Draft, in which teams can select other teams’ prospects who aren’t on the 40-man roster. The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard wrote a helpful guide on whom the Giants will consider protecting from the Rule 5 Draft.
Below is the full list of Giants minor league free agents, as compiled by MiLB-Transactions on Twitter:
RHP Daniel Alvarez
RHP Silvino Bracho
RHP Tyler Cyr
RHP Trevor Hildenberger
RHP Sam Wolff
RHP Logan Ondrusek
RHP Matt Shoemaker
RHP Aaron Blair
RHP Rico Garcia
RHP Ryan Halstead
RHP Akeel Morris
RHP Raffi Vizcaino
RHP Gerson Garabito
RHP Jesus Tona
RHP Jasier Herrera
LHP Luis Amaya
LHP Phil Pfeifer
C Ronnie Freeman
C Bryan Torres
C Andres Angulo
C Bruce Maxwell
2B Jason Krizan
2B Arismendy Alcantara
2B Peter Maris
3B Mitchell Tolman
OF Braden Bishop
OF Joe McCarthy
OF Luis Alexander Basabe
OF Sandro Fabian
