San Francisco Giants’ Spring Training Star Will Not Exercise His Opt-Out Clause

The San Francisco Giants have options at the catcher position. One broke out this spring but will start out in Triple-A after choosing to remain with the team.

Feb 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox catcher Max Stassi (33) looks on against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have had a few players break out in a big way this spring, as they look to make roster cut-downs and work their way to having a 26-man roster. The decisions begin to get harder and harder at this point, with quality players left pretty much all around the lineup, some choices will have to be made that may be ill-advised.

One of the players who has been phenomenal for the Giants this spring is catcher Max Stassi, who is coming off a partial hip replacement surgery. He would ultimately end up being notified that Sam Huff would be the backup catcher instead of him, which would lead to a decision.

Stassi had an opt-out clause in his minor-league contract that would allow him to leave if not on the MLB roster both at the end of spring training and at multiple points in the future. However, it seems he will not be utilizing it, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required) notes the veteran catcher, "has known the plan for a while and is fine with it."

His contract does have two more opt-out clauses, however, as was reported by Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors. The next of these opt-outs comes on May 1, so if he has not been elevated by then or given a large-scale opportunity, he can choose to move on and pursue a new team.

If he performs like he did in spring training at the Triple-A level, he may end up utilizing that opt-out if he has not yet made the Major League roster. Over the course of 13 games this spring, he has produced .304/.360/.652 slash lines, with a 1.012 OPS, six RBI, two runs, two home runs, and 11 strikeouts to two walks.

Stassi has had a long career around the MLB previously, having played for the Houston Astros from 2013 to 2019, and the Los Angeles Angels from 2019 to 2022. He would then suffer with his hip injury for quite some time, being traded twice before deciding to have a season-ending procedure done to repair it in June of 2024.

Ultimately his new team at the time, the Chicago White Sox, declined to pick up his option for the 2025 season, and he would wind up signing with San Francisco this offseason to compete for a backup catcher role on the active roster. Instead, he will start out with Triple-A Sacramento, working his way back to the MLB level hopefully, and trying to play his first game at that level since April of 2022.