Joey Bart's tenure with the Giants appears to be coming to an end.
San Francisco officially announced the signing of veteran backup catcher Tom Murphy to a two-year, $8 million contract, which all but ensures the former No. 2 overall pick has played his last game in a Giants uniform.
With Murphy set to back up Patrick Bailey in 2024, Bart, who is out of minor-league options, is likely to be traded this offseason. If the Giants are unable to trade him, Bart would be put on waivers assuming he doesn't crack San Francisco's Opening Day roster.
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Former Rule 5 Draft pick Blake Sabol, who had to remain on San Francisco's roster throughout the 2023 MLB season, now has minor-league options and likely will begin the season in Triple-A Sacramento where he will serve as catching and outfield depth should the Giants need it.
After being selected second overall by the Giants in the 2018 MLB Draft, Bart was one of the organization's top prospects for years and was viewed as the heir apparent to franchise icon Buster Posey, who Bart filled in for after Posey sat out the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
However, Bart was unable to stick at the major-league level. In 503 career plate appearances across parts of four major-league seasons, the young backstop batted .219/.288/.335 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI while striking out over 35 percent of the time.
Bart, along with toolsy outfielder Heliot Ramos, once were the two prospects the Giants hoped would headline the next homegrown core of players.
San Francisco Giants
Fortunately for the Giants, they have a handful of exciting youngsters ready to take the next step next season. Unfortunately for Bart, he doesn't appear to be one of them.