Junis brings swingman potential to Giants; NRIs announced

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Carlos Rodón and Jakob Junis were supposed to be college teammates at North Carolina State, but those plans never came to fruition after Junis elected to sign with the Royals out of high school in 2011. Over a decade later, Rodón and Junis’ paths have finally crossed again -- this time with the Giants.

On the same day they officially announced Rodon’s two-year, $44 million deal, the Giants also finalized a one-year, $1.75 million contract with Junis, a 29-year-old right-hander who is expected to bolster the club’s pitching depth this year. The Giants already appear to have five rotation spots filled by Rodón, Logan Webb, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Alex Cobb, but Junis could serve as a swingman type and toggle between the starting staff and bullpen as needed.

“I’ve done a little bit of both over my career,” Junis said Monday. “I’ve been a starter for most of it. I’ve been that bulk-inning guy. I’ve been that 30-starts-a-year guy. I’ve got a little bit of bullpen experience. I’m not sure where I fit right now, but I’m excited to be here, and I’m excited to find out.”

• Rodón arrives: 'My goal is to come here and win'

Junis spent the first five years of his career with the Royals, where he logged a 4.82 ERA over 105 appearances (89 starts). He recorded a 5.26 ERA over 39 1/3 innings in 2021, but manager Gabe Kapler noted that some advanced metrics, particularly his 3.88 xFIP, suggested that Junis pitched better than his numbers indicated.

“He struck dudes out, he pounded the zone, threw a lot of strikes,” Kapler said. “He did give up some damage, which is going to change the final numbers. But if you control for some things like ballparks and you just kind of play out what he did at the Major League level with the Royals, you can see an effective Major League pitcher in there and a pitcher that can stick and be a major piece of this team.”

Junis has a Minor League option remaining and is under team control through 2023, so he will provide some crucial roster flexibility for the Giants as they attempt to navigate the accelerated ramp-up to Opening Day on April 8. Junis is eager to contribute after an unusual foray into free agency this offseason.

“I imagine free agency this year was different even for people that had been through it before, just not being able to contact anybody for months there,” Junis said. “As soon as the lockout was up, there were already teams calling. It was definitely strange and happened fast. I’m just happy that the Giants were the landing spot.”

The Giants have prioritized loading up on pitching depth this spring, as former Cardinals right-hander and two-time All-Star Carlos Martínez also announced on Instagram that he’s joined San Francisco. Martínez signed a Minor League deal and will earn $2.5 million if he makes the roster, with up to $1.5 million in incentives, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

To clear spots on the 40-man roster for Rodón and Junis, the Giants designated left-hander Caleb Baragar and right-hander Hunter Harvey for assignment.

Giants announce 25 non-roster invitees

Infielder Alex Blandino and right-hander Corey Oswalt are among the 25 players who will be in Giants camp as non-roster invitees this spring. There aren’t many top prospects aside from catcher Patrick Bailey, who is ranked the Giants’ No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline, but Kapler said he expects a lot of the club’s top young players to be brought over from Minor League camp and see action in Cactus League games.

Here’s the full list of non-roster invitees:

Pitchers (15)
RHP Bryan Brickhouse
RHP Matt Carasiti
RHP Cody Carroll
RHP Sam Delaplane
LHP Enmanuel De Jesus
RHP Raynel Espinal
RHP Gray Fenter
RHP Norwith Gudino
RHP Wei-Chieh Huang
RHP Mauricio Llovera
RHP Luis Ortiz
RHP Corey Oswalt
LHP Joe Palumbo
RHP Peter Tago
RHP Jeremy Walker

Catchers (4)
Brett Auerbach
Patrick Bailey
Ricardo Genovés
Jhonny Pereda

Infielders (4)
Alex Blandino
Arquimedes Gamboa
Jason Krizan
Wyatt Mathisen

Outfielders (2)
Luis González
Ka’ai Tom