Giants DFA Tommy La Stella

The Tommy La Stella era has come to an end. On Wednesday the San Francisco Giants officially announced the signing of left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers, which required them to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. And they chose to cut ties with La Stella, designating him for assignment.

La Stella struggled with injuries after joining the Giants, and it’s probably safe to say that he’s been the team’s most unsuccessful signing since Farhan Zaidi took over as president of baseball operations. He signed a three-year deal ahead of the 2021 season, but never found his footing. That year he was limited to 76 games, and hit just .250/.308/.405 (93 wRC+). 2022 was even worse, as he was only on the field for 60 games, and hit just .239/.282/.350 (78 wRC+).

His three-year, $18.75-million contract was heavily backloaded, so the Giants will pay him $11.5 million this season. There was talk from reporters that the Giants remained optimistic about La Stella, and would likely give the 2019 All-Star a chance to prove he was healthy and productive, but that didn’t happen.

Now we wonder what the Giants will with their infield spots. They currently have three left-handed hitters on the 40-man roster who can play left of first base: Brandon Crawford, Isan Díaz, and Brett Wisely. It’s hard to imagine them rolling with either of the latter two on Opening Day, which means a trade might be in order, or perhaps they’ll go righty-heavy and just keep Thairo Estrada, David Villar, J.D. Davis, and Wilmer Flores.

Time will tell.

The Giants still need to clear someone else from their 40-man roster to open a spot for Michael Conforto.