The San Francisco Giants dealt minor league reliever Justin Garza to the New York Mets for cash late Saturday, per MLB.com.
The deal comes with no ramifications for the Giants’ 40-man roster, as they received no player in return and Garza has been in the minor leagues since he signed with San Francisco at the start of the 2024 season.
He spent most of the 2024 season with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, where he finished 5-2 with a 3.60 ERA in 39 appearances. He had two holds and four saves in four chances. He also struck out 63 and walked 20 in 55 innings.
This season his play took a step back. In 19 appearances for the River Cats, he went 1-2 with a 6.11 ERA. He struck out 20 and walked six in 17.2 innings.
Now he’ll try to return to the Majors for the first time since 2023, when he spent some time with the Boston Red Sox.
San Francisco has one of the best bullpens in baseball, led by a resurgent Camilo Doval and set-up man Randy Rodriguez. Barring injury, there wasn’t much opportunity for Garza to ascend to the Giants’ Major League roster.
Garza, a right-hander, has made 38 Major League appearances, including 21 in his rookie year with the Cleveland Guardians in 2021. That season he went 2-1 with a 4.71 ERA. He struck out 29 and walked 18 in 28.2 innings. The Guardians selected him in the eighth round of the 2015 MLB draft out of Cal State Fullerton.
He ended up with the Red Sox in 2023, where he went 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA in 17 appearances, including one start. He struck out 17 and walked 12 in 18.1 innings.
