Giants Notes Stassi Huff Villar Schmit

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wont exercise the opt-out clause in his minor league contract, writes, and the catcher will instead remain in the Giants organization and play with Triple-A Sacramento. Yesterday marked the first of three opt-out dates automatically included in Sta sis contract due to his , and Sta sis next chance to evaluate his future will come on May 1 if he hasnt yet been added to the Giants roster. There apparently wasnt much drama in the competition between Sta si and to be s backup catcher, as Slu ser notes that Sta si has known the plan for a while and is fine with it. If anything, playing in Sacramento has particular appeal for the catcher because he lives in the city and can spend more time with his family. Playing in the minors also allows Sta si the more regular on-field action he needs to ramp up after undergoing hip surgery last year. the start of the season due to a herniated disc, creating the opening for Huff to eventually win the backup job. Formerly a top prospect in the Rangers farm system, Huffs defense was often called as a question to stick in the catching role, and ended up pa sing Huff on the depth chart. After Huffs numbers dropped off at Triple-A last year, Texas designated the backstop for a signment, and the Giants claimed him away off waivers in January. The change of scenery seems to have helped thus far, as Huff has been tearing it up at the plate in the Cactus League. The rest of San Franciscos bench mix has yet to Hakeem Olajuwon Jersey be determined, though will likely claim the backup outfielder role. Since it doesnt seem like s recent back i sue is serious ( I dont even want to use the word injury, it was so mild , Lee told Slu ser and other reporters), the Giants could take two infielders from the group of , , , and prospect . Villar seems to be the odd one out, as Slu ser feels the Giants will be designating him for a signment this week since Villar is out of minor league options. The infielder hit a respectable .231/.331/.455 over 181 plate appearances in his 2022 rookie season, but then struggled badly over 140 PA in 2023 and seemed to fall out of favor for playing time. Villar has a very impre sive .268/.377/.511 slash line and 60 homers over 1182 career Triple-A plate appearances, with the caveat that that production came in Sacramento in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. A rival team in need of infield depth might be impre sed enough by those numbers to take a flier on Villar if he does up on the waiver wire in the coming days. There would seemingly be a lot more interest if the Giants made Schmitt available, as Slu ser reports that multiple teams have expre sed trade interest this offseason. The Giants, however, dont have much interest in moving Schmitt, who is still two seasons away from even gaining arbitration eligibility. He also has one minor league option year remaining, giving the Giants flexibility in sending him back and forth from Triple-A. Schmitt has a good track record of Triple-A results, and he showed improvement at the big league level in 2024, albeit in significantly fewer at-bats than he received in his 2023 rookie season. Schmitt hit .206/.255/.324 in 277 PA in 2023, and then bumped that up to a .252/.283/.477 slash line over 113 PA last year. In theory, Schmitt should again see limited action now that was signed to bring more stability to San Franciscos infield, which in turn bumped into a regular second-base role. Serge Ibaka Jersey