The SF Giants constant roster churn under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has brought plenty of veterans into the organization. A few of those players who had brief stints with the Giants this season became minor-league free agents earlier this week. Outfielder Lewis Brinson, shortstop Dixon Machado, and catcher Andrew Knapp all became free agents earlier this week.
The Giants acquired Brinson in a trade with the Astros in early September for cash considerations. He started his Giants career off with a bang, highlighted by a two-homer game and a lead-off homer in his first three games with the team. However, Brinson struggled to build off that success and was ultimately designated for assignment.
A former top-100 prospect, Brinson continues to have an excellent combination of power and athleticism but has never been able to make enough contact against MLB pitching. Brinson has a .198 batting average with a 28.4% strikeout rate in 1,150 career big-league plate appearances over his six-year big-league career.
Despite his struggles, Brinson remains a standout defensive outfielder who has been fantastic in the upper minors. This season, between the Astros and Giants Triple-A affiliates, Brinson hit .298/.356/.566 with 21 doubles and 22 home runs in 87 games.
Another six-year MLB veteran, Knapp spent the majority of his career as a backup catcher with the Philadelphia Phillies. A career .209/.310/.313 hitter with 13 home runs in 873 plate appearances, Knapp had the worst season of his career at the plate in 2022.
Knapp hit just .128/.239/.154 in the big leagues this season between short stints with the Giants, Pirates, and Mariners. The Giants signed him to a minor-league contract after he was cut by the Pirates. Knapp was briefly promoted to the Giants big-league roster when their catching depth was depleted by injuries in September before he was designated for assignment.
Knapp did perform well with the SF Giants Triple-A affiliate, hitting .276/.352/.520 triple-slash with seven walks and eight home runs in 142 plate appearances. Knapp is a Roseville, California native who attended Cal, so he may be particularly interested in re-signing with the Giants this offseason on a minor-league deal.
Machado was acquired at one of the Giants lowest points of the season. Injuries had left manager Gabe Kapler with no viable defensive shortstops, so the Giants used cash considerations to acquire him from the Cubs, where he was playing everyday at Triple-A.
Machado played in five games with the Giants, hitting .200/.294/.200 in 17 plate appearances before he was designated for assignment. After clearing waivers, Machado was outrighted to the Giants Triple-A affiliate, where he finished the season. This year, Machado hit .291/.372/.390 at Triple-A.
A five-year MLB veteran, Machado is an above-average defensive shortstop with an excellent penchant for contact. A lack of power has prevented Machado from producing enough at the plate to sustain long-term success, but his glove and track record of production will earn him a minor-league contract to be an upper minors depth piece next season.
The SF Giants have far more important acquisitions to make this offseason. However, every team will have to fill out their Triple-A roster with solid depth pieces on minor-league deals. The Giants may hope to bring Lewis Brinson, Dixon Machado, and Andrew Knapp back in 2023, but at least for now, the trio is free to negotiate with every MLB franchise.
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