The MLB and MLBPA recently agreed to move up the non-tender deadline to today, Nov. 30, to allow teams to make roster decisions before the league imminently locks down.
By 5 p.m. PST, every team has to decide whether to offer the players on its 40-man roster with fewer than six years of service time a contract for 2022. Players could also go to arbitration. For the Giants, those eight arbitration-eligible players include Mike Yastrzemski, Curt Casali, Austin Slater, John Brebbia, Darin Ruf, Dominic Leone, Jarlin García and Alex Dickerson — who’s already been released.
San Francisco got the ball rolling on Tuesday by signing Brebbia to a one-year, $837,500 contract according to a The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Brebbia, a right-handed reliever, recorded a 5.89 ERA in 18 appearances during the 2021 season. However, his strikeout rate (10.8 per nine innings) and walk rate (2.0 per nine) suggest he could be more effective. It was also Brebbia’s first season back after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
For the Sacramento River Cats, Brebbia was much more impactful, posting a 2.93 ERA in 17 games. The 31-year-old previously pitched for the Cardinals; 2022 will be his second season in San Francisco.
Bringing Brebbia back is somewhat of a surprise as the bullpen is one of the Giants’ positions of strength, with Brebbia playing a limited role. But the agreed upon salary is less than his estimated arbitration value.
Expect an abundance of more moves to come, as the Dec. 1 deadline for MLB and players association is rapidly approaching. Parties on both sides of the labor dispute expect a lockout imminently, shutting down all baseball activities.