Farhan Zaidi was back in a favorite spot Tuesday, working the waiver wire and smoothing the edges of his 40-man roster.
In a swap with the New York Mets, the Giants sent the sport’s richest owner cash considerations for the right to jump the line and acquire Cooper Hummel, a 29-year-old switch-hitter who can catch and play the outfield and was designated for assignment last week.
Hummel never appeared in a game for the Mets, having been claimed on waivers from the Mariners in December.
A career .166/.264/.286 hitter over two big-league seasons, Hummel started his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being sent to Seattle in exchange for outfielder Kyle Lewis and has yet to stick in the majors. However, as a switch-hitter with defensive versatility, Hummel is an interesting depth piece.
In 43 games in the field the past two seasons, Hummel has logged 25 in the outfield and 18 behind the plate, giving him positional flexibility similar to Blake Sabol.
He also has an option year remaining, meaning the Giants can taxi him between San Francisco and Triple-A Sacramento.
It’s possible his versatility would convince the Giants to carry three catchers, but otherwise his path to the Opening Day roster looks unlikely.
The Giants are committed to Patrick Bailey, who will be entering his first full season, and signed Tom Murphy earlier this offseason to be his backup.
Sabol, now with a full set of options, will likely start the year at Triple-A, where the raw Rule 5 draftee can get more seasoning.
For Joey Bart, on the other hand, the clock seems to be ticking on his time in the organization. The former No. 2 draft pick must make the big-league club out of spring training or be placed on waivers, or the more likely scenario, traded before Opening Day.