Lefty Anderson among Giants' non-tenders
The Giants will have another rotation hole to fill this offseason, as the club non-tendered left-hander Tyler Anderson ahead of Wednesday’s deadline to offer contracts to arbitration-eligible players.
San Francisco also declined to tender 2021 contracts to infielder Daniel Robertson and three pre-arbitration players: catcher Chadwick Tromp, right-hander Rico Garcia and pitching prospect Melvin Adon, who appeared to injure his right arm in the Dominican Winter League last week.
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Outfielders Alex Dickerson, Darin Ruf and Austin Slater and relievers Jarlín García, Wandy Peralta and Trevor Gott agreed to terms on one-year deals to avoid arbitration.
The Giants’ two remaining arbitration-eligible players -- infielder Donovan Solano and right-hander Reyes Moronta -- were tendered contracts, though they remain unsigned. The deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures for the 2021 season is Jan. 15.
The 40-man roster now stands at 35 players, giving the Giants plenty of room to add new acquisitions through trades, free agency or the Rule 5 Draft, which is scheduled to take place on Dec. 10.
The Giants’ decision to part with Anderson came as a bit of a surprise, as the club is already short on rotation depth following the departure of Drew Smyly, Trevor Cahill and Jeff Samardzija. The 30-year-old lefty was claimed off waivers from the Rockies last offseason and logged a 4.37 ERA over 13 appearances in 2020 after recovering from surgery on his left knee.
The Giants are expected to prioritize starting pitching this offseason, though they might prefer to target higher-caliber free-agent pitchers who are coming off down seasons, such as James Paxton, Corey Kluber, Jake Odorizzi, Jon Lester, Carlos Rodón and José Quintana. The need for southpaws will become even more pronounced now that Anderson has joined the free-agent pool, as Andrew Suárez and Conner Menez are the only left-handed starting options on the Giants' 40-man roster.
Dickerson’s deal is worth $2.1 million and fully guaranteed, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The 30-year-old slugger earned a sizable raise from his $925,000 salary in 2020 after batting .298 with a .947 OPS and 10 home runs over 52 games this past season.
The Giants also reached agreements with García ($950,000), Peralta ($925,000) and Gott ($700,000), according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Ruf and Slater settled for $1.275 and $1.15 million, respectively, per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman.