Giants sign Yamaguchi to Minor League deal
The Giants continued to stock up on pitching options on Saturday, announcing the signing of right-hander Shun Yamaguchi to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Yamaguchi, 33, signed a two-year, $6.35 million contract with the Blue Jays in December 2019, but he struggled in his first season in the big leagues, posting an 8.06 ERA over 25 2/3 innings in 17 relief appearances for Toronto. Yamaguchi pitched in Japan for 14 years and posted a 3.35 ERA in Nippon Professional Baseball. His best season was in 2019, when he went 15-4 with a 2.91 ERA with the Yomiuri Giants.
Yamaguchi has experience both starting and relieving, making him a versatile piece for the Giants to evaluate this spring. San Francisco also signed another potential swingman, right-hander Nick Tropeano, to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training earlier this week.
The Giants appear to have their top five starters locked into their rotation after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $4 million deal with Aaron Sanchez on Tuesday, but they have been looking to build additional depth now that the regular season is set to stretch back out to 162 games this year. Once Sanchez’s deal becomes official, the Giants will have 72 players in big league camp, three shy of the 75-player maximum.