The SF Giants added left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers to the 40-man roster earlier this week. To create room for Rogers, they designated infielder Tommy La Stella for assignment. La Stella was once handed the largest free-agent contract of Farhan Zaidi's tenure with the Giants. However, a series of injuries seemed to prevent him from ever living up to the team's expectations.
La Stella's days with the Giants have seemed numbered for quite some time. Giants beat writer Susan Slusser speculated that he would be released at some point this offseason and USA Today's Bob Nightengale later reported they were trying to trade La Stella earlier this offseason. Given his recent struggles, it makes sense that the Giants were unable to find an interested team and decided to move on.
La Stella was coming off the two best seasons of his career in the winter of 2020, when he signed a three-year, $18.75 million deal with the Giants. He had received his first career All-Star selection in 2019 and hit .289/.356/.471 with 21 home runs, 47 walks, and 40 strikeouts over that span.
In his two seasons with the Giants, La Stella struggled to stay healthy, never playing in at least half of the teams games. Moreover, a pair of Achilles surgeries took away from his already limited defensive versatility. Once a viable first, second, and third baseman, La Stella seemed best suited for designated hitting. Of course, hitting just .245/.297/.380 over the past two seasons with some of the worst strikeout and walk rates of his career, it's hard to justify putting him in the lineup.
Set to turn 34 in January, La Stella could be on the cusp of retirement. However, he will assuredly clear waivers and likely be released by the SF Giants in the coming week. As a free agent, Tommy La Stella could be an intriguing minor-league free agent signing for a team interested in seeing if his range of mobility has improved this offseason.
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