Former Chicago Cubs Farmhand Signs Deal With San Francisco Giants

Curt Casali never got a call-up with the Chicago Cubs but he found a landing spot with a former team.

Sep 12, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher Curt Casali. / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Curt Casali, who was released by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, needed just a day to find a Major League deal with a National League foe.

Casali signed a one-year MLB deal with the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, a team in dire need of catching depth with their starter and primary backup on the injured list. It helped that San Francisco is familiar with the right-handed hitter, as he played 2021 and part of 2022 with the Giants.

The 35-year-old’s time in the organization was short. The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal on March 29 and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa. That was less than a week after the Miami Marlins released him.

With Iowa, Casali hit minor league pitching well. He slashed .362/.489/.551/1.040 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 23 games. But, with Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya forming a quality tandem at Wrigley Field, Casali was basically waiting for one to get hurt.

Casali won’t have to wait for playing time with San Francisco. He was signed and was in their starting lineup for Wednesday’s game with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Giants are without starter Patrick Bailey, who is on the 7-day concussion protocol list for the second time in 10 days after he was hit in the facemask with a foul ball against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 4.

His backup, Tom Murphy, hurt his knee the next game and is out with a left knee sprain. San Francisco moved him from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list as part of Casali’s roster move.

Casali will work with Blake Sabol in the immediate term until Murphy returns.

The former 10th-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2011 made his MLB debut with Tampa Bay in 2014. He’s also played for the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds. He’s a lifetime .220 hitter in the Majors with 47 home runs and 154 RBI in 502 career games.