The Giants have had pretty good luck sneaking players through waivers and back into their minor league system after designating them for assignment, but their luck ran out Wednesday.
All three players who were DFA'd last Friday were subsequently claimed by other organizations: Chris Shaw is now a Baltimore Oriole, Aramis Garcia is a Texas Ranger and Jordan Humphreys is a Cleveland Indian. The Giants had DFA'd the trio in order to open up roster spots for prospects who had to be added before the Rule 5 Draft.
Of the three, the loss of Garcia might have the greatest impact on the 2021 season, although even that will be minimal. With Joey Bart expected to start the season in Triple-A, Garcia could have been an option to back up Buster Posey until Bart is recalled. The Giants still have Chadwick Tromp on the roster, though, and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has said he might add a veteran through free agency.
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SIGN UP HERE Shaw was not in the plans for the current regime and now gets a much-needed fresh start for a team that has plenty of playing time available and also access to the DH spot. Humphreys was picked up from the New York Mets in the Billy Hamilton deal and the Giants were happy with the addition, but they ran out of roster space. The right-hander was put on the restricted list because of a family issue shortly after the trade.
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In an odd way, Wednesday's moves show how far the Giants have come in the last couple of years. One of Zaidi's biggest initial goals was to overhaul the back end of the 40-man roster, and early on he could pretty easily DFA players who had few suitors elsewhere.
The Giants are starting to reach the point where roster moves come with some pain, the latest sign that they're much deeper than they were previously.