The Giants have claimed right-hander Devin Sweet off waivers from the Athletics, per Grant Brisbee of The Athletic.
Sweet, 27, was an undrafted free agent but continued to raise his stock in the minors with good results, largely based on the success of his changeup. In 2023, he started at Double-A in the Mariners’ system and got selected to the big league roster in mid-July. At that point, he had a 1.54 earned run average in 35 innings over 27 appearances. He struck out 34.6% of opponents while walking just 5.9% of them, getting onto the back end of top 30 prospects lists at both Baseball America and FanGraphs.
His first bits of experience at the major league level didn’t go well. He tossed two innings for the Mariners and then 6 2/3 for the A’s after a waiver claim. He allowed a combined 10 earned runs in that time, meaning his career ERA is currently 10.38, though in an obviously tiny sample.
The A’s agreed to a deal with Trevor Gott last week and needed to open a roster spot for him. It appears they tried to pass Sweet through waivers but the Giants swooped in to make an interception, using one of their three roster spots, with this move taking their 40-man count to 38.
Sweet still has a couple of options, so he won’t be guaranteed an active roster spot in San Francisco. He can provide his new club with some roster flexibility as a depth add for their bullpen. He has just 47 days of major league service time, meaning he can be a long-term piece for the Giants as long as he continues to justify his spot on the 40-man.
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