Stephen Piscotty, SF Giants (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
The Giants, who have already signed Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto, have agreed to sign a third veteran outfielder, sources say.
Outfielder Stephen Piscotty and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a minor-league contract that includes an invite to spring training, according to a source familiar with the deal. The deal pays Piscotty $1 million if he’s in the majors.
Piscotty, 32, spent the first three seasons of his major-league career with the St. Louis Cardinals, emerging as an above-average hitter, slashing .268/.346/.438 with 38 home runs and 163 RBI. He was then traded to the Oakland A’s after the 2017 season in a move that was primarily motivated by his desire to be closer to his mother, Gretchen, while she battled ALS.
In 2017, Piscotty posted the best season of his career, hitting .267/.331/.491 with an .891 OPS, 27 home runs and 88 RBI. But the veteran outfielder has only played in 252 games in the last four seasons and in 2022, he hit .190/.252/.341 with a .593 OPS and five home runs in 42 games, and was released by the A’s in August despite having to pay the remainder of his $7.25 million salary in 2022 and a $1 million club option in 2023.
Before signing Piscotty, the Giants prioritized shoring up the outfield and signed Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto to multi-year contracts. Both players will play prominent roles in the outfield, though manager Gabe Kepler recently emphasized to reporters that he will prioritize giving each player days off to keep them fresh for the 162-game season.
This is where Piscotty fits into the equation — and on a minor-league contract, the deal comes with virtually no risk.