Veteran Catcher Seen As 'Dark Horse' To Make San Francisco Giants Roster

 As spring training rolls on for the San Francisco Giants, the team will be hoping to see some improvements after a mediocre campaign in 2024.

It was a bit of an underwhelming offseason for the Giants.

With a desire to shed some payroll, San Francisco was able to accomplish that, but it’s hard to picture this being a much better team with the moves they made.

The signing of Willy Adames should help improve a lineup that needed a player of his caliber. However, the starting rotation has taken a step back with Justin Verlander replacing Blake Snell.

It is hard to predict what type of pitcher Verlander is going to be in 2025 at 42 years old. Considering he is coming off a bad campaign where he dealt with injuries, this signing could end up being a failure that results in issues for the rotation.

With spring training starting up, the Giants will be looking to put the final touches on the 26-man roster. Players will be vying for the final spots with this being a great time to make an impression.

Maria Guardado of MLB.com recently spoke about veteran catcher Max Stassi potentially being a dark horse candidate to make the team on Opening Day.

While the starting catcher spot is locked up with Patrick Bailey, his backup is still yet to be determined.

Currently, the projected No. 2 is Sam Huff, who has been with the Texas Rangers so far in his career. As a 24-year-old in 2022, he performed well in 44 games, slashing 240/.303/.372 with four home runs and 10 RBI.

The recent injury to Tom Murphy and his unknown timeline for return has resulted in Huff being the next logical choice. However, Stassi might be able to make a case for the position as well.

Missing the last two seasons will be a challenge to overcome, but the 33-year-old has been a solid player throughout his career and could be a viable option to backup Bailey.

In his career, Stassi has slashed .212/.295/.361 with 41 home runs and 128 RBI. If he can regain his form from 2020-22, he could be a solid offensive option for the Giants to provide some needed pop.

With Murphy sidelined indefinitely, it will be interesting to see how the battle between Stassi and Huff shakes out.

More than likely, one of the two will be on the Opening Day roster due to the spot being available.

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