Giants reportedly could sign All-Star catcher after Patrick Bailey injury

The San Francisco Giants were already facing long odds to make the postseason. Then, they got some crushing news this week.

Catcher Patrick Bailey, one of Major League Baseball's best defenders at any position, suffered an oblique injury on Monday during pregame batting practice. Though the Giants initially hoped Bailey could avoid a lengthy absence, he was sent to the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

The injury is a devastating blow to the 65-63 Giants, who sit 3 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Replacing a catcher of Bailey's caliber is no small task, especially with the options the Giants have in-house.

Veteran journeyman Curt Casali is Bailey's primary backup, and the Giants also recalled rookie Jakson Reetz from Triple-A. But the Giants have the rare opportunity to grab a former All-Star backstop on the free-agent wire, and one insider believes they could jump at that chance.

According to a report from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants are among the teams interested in signing free-agent catcher Elias Díaz, formerly of the Colorado Rockies. Díaz was released earlier this week after going unclaimed on outright waivers.

Díaz, 33, was the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 All-Star Game in Seattle. He has had a productive career, especially in the last two seasons with the Rockies. He is slashing .268/.315/.398 since the start of 2023.

After failing to find a trade partner for Díaz before the July 31 deadline, the Rockies opted to waive the impending free agent outright, in hopes that a team might claim him to assume the remainder of his 2024 salary. But that didn't happen, and now Díaz is up for grabs.

Though Díaz alone can't solve the Giants' woes alone, he may be a better option than the catchers they have healthy. He would need to be on the roster by Aug. 31 to be eligible for postseason play.

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