SF Giants Sign Familiar Face To Fill Depleted Catcher Position

At the age of 35 and coming off a dreadful season in 2023, he was considering retirement and taking a front office or a coaching job. He wasn't sure if he would ever get another shot at the big leagues. But after tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A for the past month, Curt Casali is getting a chance after all, rejoining his old team the San Francisco Giants.

Curt Casali is a good solution for Giants while top two catchers are out. 1 year deal. Was raking in Cubs minors (1.040 OPS)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 15, 2024

Casali gets a one-year, $1 million major league contract to come back to the team he was with in 2021 and 2022. The 35-year-old struggled in 40 games with the Cincinnati Reds last year, hitting just .175 with a .490 OPS.

He signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs this year, and has been rejuvenated, crushing the ball in Triple-A to the tune of a .362 average with a 1.039 OPS and a pair of homers in 23 games.

The Giants were desperate for some help behind the plate as both Patrick Bailey (concussion) and Tom Murphy (knee) are out of action. Blake Sabol will likely remain the starter for now, with Casali getting some starts against left-handed pitchers.

The veteran says he is "so incredibly thankful to be back here... Especially in a place that I love so much."

In parts of 10 seasons in the majors, Casali has compiled a .220 average and an OPS+ of 88.