Giants' roster crunch could help Guardians add much-needed power to their outfield

Even though all 30 MLB teams have officially started spring training, there’s still plenty of roster maneuvering happening across the league as teams navigate roster battles. 

And one of the biggest roster battles that could result in some league-wide reverberations is the San Francisco Giants’ outfield battle, which consists of eight players fighting for four spots after their signing of old friend Will Brennan. 

The Giants are going to need to make some kind of cut to their outfield, and two of the likeliest options are outfielders Luis Matos and Jerar Encarnación.

While they both boast tremendous upside, they’re also both out of minor league options, which means they’ll need to be exposed to waivers if the Giants choose to remove them from their roster. 

And if that does happen, the Guardians should seriously consider signing either of them on waivers given how much upside they both could offer. 

The Giants roster crunch could result in the Guardians stealing Luis Matos or Jerar Encarnación off waivers 

Heliot Ramos, Harrison Bader and Jung Hoo Lee are locked in as the Giants’ top three outfielders, so Matos and Encarnación are competing against Brennan, Drew Gilbert, Grant McCray and Jared Oliva for the team’s fourth outfielder spot. 

But Matos and Encarnación being out of options all but confirms that at least one of them (or potentially both) will end up on waivers. 

Of the two, Matos is the more interesting player. A former top 100 prospect, Matos made his MLB debut during 2023 and has hit just .231 in 178 big league games since. But he’s also shown flashes of that prospect pedigree throughout his career like when he drove in 16 runs in one week in 2024 and hit .415 in 12 games last August. 

He also has a career strikeout rate of just 14.2% and finished last season with a whiff rate of 20.1%, so he has the kind of offensive approach the Guardians love. He also hits right-handed, which would be a welcome addition to the Guardians’ left-handed heavy lineup. 

Encarnación is the ultimate boom or bust player, though it’s been far more bust as of late. 

He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Marlins and wasted no time showing off his potential by recording a grand slam, outfield assist and stolen base in his MLB debut. The grand slam was his first MLB hit, making him the first Dominican-born player to hit a grand slam in his debut.

But that magnificent debut still stands as the high-water mark of his career. While he has power in spades, he also has an eye-popping career strikeout rate of 31.6% and has struggled with injuries, which are the biggest reasons why he’s only played in 77 big league games throughout his career. 

He has the kind of power the Guardians need from their outfield (and also hits right-handed), but he has some clear red flags at the plate and would need to spend most of his time at designated hitter. 

As of now, the lone right-handed hitting outfielders in camp with the Guardians are Johnathan Rodríguez and Stuart Fairchild, so there’s a pretty convincing argument to be made that Matos or Encarnación would be an upgrade over either of them. 

While there’s still a chance they could both break camp with the Giants, their statues will be worth watching all spring.