Minor League Baseball

San Francisco Giants Swoop in to Sign Former Los Angeles Dodgers Top Prospect

Diego Cartaya fizzled out with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, but that didn't stop the San Francisco Giants from taking a flier on the 23-year-old catcher.
Sam Connon|
Surprise, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya against the Kansas City Royals during a spring training game at Surprise Stadium.
Surprise, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya against the Kansas City Royals during a spring training game at Surprise Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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San Francisco GiantsMinnesota TwinsLos Angeles Dodgers

The San Francisco Giants have signed catcher Diego Cartaya to a minor league contract, El Extrabase's Daniel Álvarez-Montes reported Monday night.

Cartaya was released by the Minnesota Twins last Wednesday. The 23-year-old hit just .085 with a .353 OPS, striking out in 40 of his 59 at-bats across 20 games with Triple-A St. Paul.

The Twins took a flier on the Venezuelan backstop this past winter, picking him up in a trade after the Los Angeles Dodgers decided they were moving on. Entering 2023, Cartaya was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Los Angeles' farm system and the No. 14 prospect in baseball.

Between 2021 and 2022, Cartaya totaled 32 home runs, 28 doubles, 103 RBIs and 81 walks in 126 games of Single-A and High-A action. He hit .265 with a .923 OPS across his age-19 and age-20 campaigns.

Cartaya failed to match that production in 2023, 2024 or 2025, batting .196 with a .646 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A in that span. While he has 31 home runs over his last 208 games, he has also struck out 270 times.

The Dodgers and Twins bailing on Cartaya didn't stop the Giants from swooping in to snag him, though. There is not a catcher ranked among San Francisco's top-30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline.

Related MiLB Stories

  • TWINS SNAG JIMENEZ: In order to pry starting pitcher Chris Paddack away from the Minnesota Twins prior to the trade deadline, the Detroit Tigers had to part ways with 19-year-old catcher Enrique Jimenez. CLICK HERE
  • SFG PROSPECT MASHING: Bryce Eldridge, who recently rejoined Triple-A Sacramento after recovering from a hamstring injury, has been putting his power on full display. CLICK HERE
  • FLORES DRAWING INTEREST: Catcher Rafael Flores, who was recently promoted to Triple-A, could be the price the New York Yankees have to pay at the trade deadline if they intend to be buyers. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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