SF Giants: Lewis Brinson, Andrew Knapp, and Dixon Machado become free agents

A trio of SF Giants depth pieces who had short stints with the team this season, became minor-league free agents earlier this week.
SF Giants: Lewis Brinson, Andrew Knapp, and Dixon Machado become free agents
SF Giants: Lewis Brinson, Andrew Knapp, and Dixon Machado become free agents /
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The SF Giants constant roster churn under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has brought plenty of veterans into the organization. A few of those players who had brief stints with the Giants this season became minor-league free agents earlier this week. Outfielder Lewis Brinson, shortstop Dixon Machado, and catcher Andrew Knapp all became free agents earlier this week.

SF Giants outfielder Lewis Brinson runs the bases after hitting a home run.
SF Giants outfielder Lewis Brinson runs the bases after hitting a home run. (2022) / Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants acquired Brinson in a trade with the Astros in early September for cash considerations. He started his Giants career off with a bang, highlighted by a two-homer game and a lead-off homer in his first three games with the team. However, Brinson struggled to build off that success and was ultimately designated for assignment.

A former top-100 prospect, Brinson continues to have an excellent combination of power and athleticism but has never been able to make enough contact against MLB pitching. Brinson has a .198 batting average with a 28.4% strikeout rate in 1,150 career big-league plate appearances over his six-year big-league career.

Despite his struggles, Brinson remains a standout defensive outfielder who has been fantastic in the upper minors. This season, between the Astros and Giants Triple-A affiliates, Brinson hit .298/.356/.566 with 21 doubles and 22 home runs in 87 games.

SF Giants outfielder Joc Pederson, infielder Wilmer Flores, and catcher Andrew Knapp celebrate after Pederson's three-run homer.
SF Giants catcher Andrew Knapp celebrates with Joc Pederson and Wilmer Flores. (2022) / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Another six-year MLB veteran, Knapp spent the majority of his career as a backup catcher with the Philadelphia Phillies. A career .209/.310/.313 hitter with 13 home runs in 873 plate appearances, Knapp had the worst season of his career at the plate in 2022.

Knapp hit just .128/.239/.154 in the big leagues this season between short stints with the Giants, Pirates, and Mariners. The Giants signed him to a minor-league contract after he was cut by the Pirates. Knapp was briefly promoted to the Giants big-league roster when their catching depth was depleted by injuries in September before he was designated for assignment.

Knapp did perform well with the SF Giants Triple-A affiliate, hitting .276/.352/.520 triple-slash with seven walks and eight home runs in 142 plate appearances. Knapp is a Roseville, California native who attended Cal, so he may be particularly interested in re-signing with the Giants this offseason on a minor-league deal.

SF Giants shortstop Dixon Machado stands in the batters box. (2022)
SF Giants shortstop Dixon Machado stands in the batter's box. (2022) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Machado was acquired at one of the Giants lowest points of the season. Injuries had left manager Gabe Kapler with no viable defensive shortstops, so the Giants used cash considerations to acquire him from the Cubs, where he was playing everyday at Triple-A.

Machado played in five games with the Giants, hitting .200/.294/.200 in 17 plate appearances before he was designated for assignment. After clearing waivers, Machado was outrighted to the Giants Triple-A affiliate, where he finished the season. This year, Machado hit .291/.372/.390 at Triple-A.

A five-year MLB veteran, Machado is an above-average defensive shortstop with an excellent penchant for contact. A lack of power has prevented Machado from producing enough at the plate to sustain long-term success, but his glove and track record of production will earn him a minor-league contract to be an upper minors depth piece next season.

The SF Giants have far more important acquisitions to make this offseason. However, every team will have to fill out their Triple-A roster with solid depth pieces on minor-league deals. The Giants may hope to bring Lewis Brinson, Dixon Machado, and Andrew Knapp back in 2023, but at least for now, the trio is free to negotiate with every MLB franchise.


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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).