The Giants are heading into a stretch where the catching picture looks thin at just about every level, and the problem starts with the major league group. Daniel Susac and Drew Cavanaugh are the names at the top right now, but the organization is going to need more experienced help on the 40-man roster and in the upper minors.
Jesús Rodríguez and Zach Morgan are also on the 40-man, though Morgan appears vulnerable as the roster crunch approaches. If that plays out, he could still stay in the organization if another club doesn’t claim him.
Rodríguez brings offensive ability that the front office likes, but his defensive home remains unsettled. Right now, he’s more of a catcher in a utility sense than a dependable backup.
He has also spent time at second base and in the corner outfield, and the Giants tried to get him more work there in 2026. Even so, he has plenty of experience at first base and third base, and that creates another issue: those spots are already covered, which leaves him without a clear path to regular playing time.
The depth gets even shakier after that. Adrián Sugastey and Onil Perez are both scheduled to reach free agency this offseason after accumulating six years of minor league service time. Both had been among the organization’s better defensive options in the upper minors.
Behind them, the Giants have Thomas Gavello, Jack Payton, and Jancel Villarroel, but all three fit the same general mold as Rodríguez as multi-positional catchers rather than pure, reliable backstops.
The lower minors aren’t much better. San Francisco didn’t draft a catcher this year, and it hasn’t used a top pick on one in recent years.
Zach Morgan was one of the more recent top picks the Giants spent on a catcher, and that came in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. Luke Shliger was a sixth-round pick in 2023, but he was released at the start of the year and ended up in the Detroit Tigers organization.
That leaves the Giants with a clear need for catching help throughout the system, but especially in the upper minors, where teams often depend on that depth to get through a season. Looking ahead to 2027, there’s still some uncertainty at the position.
Daniel Susac is presumably the No. 1 option, but he remains unproven. The Giants will likely add at least one veteran catcher to compete for a job, but they also need more dependable defenders behind him in the upper minors.
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Giants Suddenly Have A Catcher Depth Problem To Solve
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Giants May Have Found A Cheap Infield Fix Worth Watching
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Sosas appeal is not just that he can handle multiple spots, but that his profile suggests a potentially affordable fit if San Francisco decides to shop in that lane. His offensive track record has been uneven, which is part of why the conversation centers on value rather than star power, but for a team that needs stability and options, he looks like the sort of low-cost target that can quietly make sense if the Giants decide to act. [Read more 🡒]