Viloria, Strotman claimed by Giants, Tinoco outrighted

In our final batch of transactions announcements from the Texas Rangers today, the team has announced that the San Francisco Giants have claimed catcher Meibrys Viloria and pitcher Drew Strotman on waivers, and that Jesus Tinoco has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA Round Rock.

In addition, Mitch Garver, Brad Miller, Josh Sborz and Eli White have been officially activated from the 60 day injured list.

With these moves, as well as the ones made earlier today, the 40 man roster now stands at 34.

No surprises here. Viloria got some run as the backup catcher in July and August, and hit a little bit for a while, but then went 0 for 30 with 16 Ks and four walks in his final 35 plate appearances of the year, and was sent back to Round Rock. Strotman was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins late in the 2022 season, and pitched three games for Round Rock. Both seemed likely to be dropped before Thanksgiving.

Tinoco ended up appearing in 17 games for the Rangers in 2022, splitting the season between AAA and the majors after being signed as a minor league free agent. He had a 2.18 ERA in the majors, but with a 4.22 FIP, and didn’t miss a ton of bats. Of the three, I thought he had the best chance to make it to spring training.

Miller is under contract for 2023. Garver is a potential non-tender candidate as he heads into his final year of arbitration, though I suspect the Rangers will hang onto him. Sborz and White are guys who could be non-tendered at the non-tender deadline, then brought back on a minor league deal, or could end up being run through waivers during the offseason in order to try to outright them.