The Giants bolstered their outfield depth on Friday, trading for Joey Wiemer in a deal with the Marlins.
San Francisco sent cash considerations to Miami in return, then designated catcher Andrew Knizner for assignment to clear space for Wiemer on the 40-man roster.
Trade details
Giants receive: OF Joey Wiemer
Marlins receive: Cash considerations
Knizner was subsequently non-tendered ahead of Friday’s 2 p.m. PT deadline for teams to tender contracts to players for the 2026 season. Left-hander Joey Lucchesi was non-tendered as well. Both are now free agents.
In 27 games with the Marlins last season, Wiemer batted .236 with a .715 OPS. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week, as the Marlins shuffled their 40-man roster before Tuesday’s deadline to protect eligible prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. (The Giants didn’t make any additions on Tuesday, leaving right-hander Will Bednar among a handful available to be selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in Orlando.)
Wiemer, who will turn 27 in February, is out of options, meaning he can’t be sent to the Minors without first clearing waivers. He’s spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues, where he’s mostly served as a platoon bat. The righty hitting Wiemer owns a .779 career OPS vs. lefties, with a .559 mark against righties. He is regarded as an above-average defender and can play all three outfield spots.
Both Knizner and Lucchesi, meanwhile, were entering their last year of arbitration eligibility.
Knizner, 30, became the Giants’ backup catcher after having his contract selected in June, but he batted only .221 with a .598 OPS and one home run over 33 games this year.
Lucchesi, 32, signed a Minor League deal with the Giants last offseason and had his contract selected after Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks were traded to the Red Sox in June. He subsequently emerged as one of the Giants’ top lefty relief options after Erik Miller went down with an elbow injury, posting a 3.76 ERA over 38 appearances.
Following Friday’s moves, the Giants 40-man roster now stands at 39 players. Those moves also included an agreement with right-hander JT Brubaker for the 2026 season. Brubaker, 31, was also entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and was a non-tender candidate.
He earned a September callup with the Giants after recording a 1.64 ERA in three appearances for Triple-A Sacramento, but he didn’t get much of a look in San Francisco. Brubaker logged a 4.26 ERA over 12 2/3 innings and was used mostly in a low-leverage role out of the bullpen.
