San Francisco Giants Face Prospect Dilemma at Roster Deadline

The San Francisco Giants have some tough decisions to work through as they reach the deadline for its 40-man roster.

Jul 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have 39 players on their 40-man roster. This time of year, that can be a problem.

On Tuesday, all 30 Major League teams must finalize their rosters in anticipation of next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Every team is trying to figure out how to protect prospects that are eligible for that draft. The only way to do it is to move those players to the 40-man roster.

The Giants have three Top 30 prospects per MLB Pipeline. The Giants, for now, have one more spot.

So there’s the dilemma.

Who’s eligible? Players first signed at age 18 or younger that haven’t been on the 40-man roster within five seasons or players signed at 19 years or older that haven’t been on the 40-man roster within four seasons.

Who are the Giants prospects to be most concerned about?

Shortstop Aeverson Arteaga, who is ranked No. 11; right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour, who is ranked No. 23; and catcher Onil Perez, who is ranked No. 28.

Arteaga was a .209 hitter in 24 games in the minors this season and he’s been in the Giants system since 2021.

Seymour pitched at Triple-A Sacramento last season and went 7-10 with a 4.82 ERA in 29 games (28 starts). He struck out 132 and walked 60 in a career-high 134.2 innings.

Perez batted .236 with a home run and 30 RBI in 79 games with High-A Eugene.

The Giants are not obligated to protect any of those players and it’s not a guarantee that San Francisco will lose any of them because there are requirements for keeping players selected.

Any Major League team that selects a Rule 5-eligible player must pay $100,000. If that player doesn't stay on the 26-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.

Teams that select players in that phase are hopeful that he can help them at the Major League level the next season. That would make Seymour the most desirable of the three, given that he pitched at Triple-A last year and could move into an MLB rotation or bullpen in 2025.

There is also a minor-league phase of the draft that has less onerous requirements.

Whatever the Giants decide to do or not do, they must do it by Tuesday at 6 p.m. eastern.