Surprise, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya against the Kansas City Royals during a spring training game at Surprise Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

San Francisco Giants Swoop in to Sign Former Los Angeles Dodgers Top Prospect

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Sam Connon | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 10:21 AM ET

The San Francisco Giants have signed catcher Diego Cartaya to a minor league contract, El Extrabase's Daniel Álvarez-Montes reported Monday night.

Cartaya was released by the Minnesota Twins last Wednesday. The 23-year-old hit just .085 with a .353 OPS, striking out in 40 of his 59 at-bats across 20 games with Triple-A St. Paul.

The Twins took a flier on the Venezuelan backstop this past winter, picking him up in a trade after the Los Angeles Dodgers decided they were moving on. Entering 2023, Cartaya was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Los Angeles' farm system and the No. 14 prospect in baseball.

Looks like Diego Cartaya is now part of the SF Giants organization pic.twitter.com/OG4pJRzGDh
— DodgersBeat (@DodgersBeat) July 29, 2025

Between 2021 and 2022, Cartaya totaled 32 home runs, 28 doubles, 103 RBIs and 81 walks in 126 games of Single-A and High-A action. He hit .265 with a .923 OPS across his age-19 and age-20 campaigns.

Cartaya failed to match that production in 2023, 2024 or 2025, batting .196 with a .646 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A in that span. While he has 31 home runs over his last 208 games, he has also struck out 270 times.

The Dodgers and Twins bailing on Cartaya didn't stop the Giants from swooping in to snag him, though. There is not a catcher ranked among San Francisco's top-30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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