SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants added a new face to their outfield mix just in time for their first full-squad workout at Scottsdale Stadium on Sunday.
San Francisco announced a one-year Major League deal with Will Brennan, a left-handed-hitting outfielder who spent the last four seasons with the Guardians. The Giants transferred right-hander Rowan Wick to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot for Brennan on the 40-man roster.
Brennan, 28, batted .264 with a .697 OPS and eight home runs over 114 games with Cleveland in 2024, but he appeared in only six games last year after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in June. Brennan also had sports hernia surgery in September to repair a groin issue, but he’s expected to be “full go” for Spring Training, according to general manager Zack Minasian.
“We've liked him for some time,” Minasian said. “Plays the game really hard, gritty, grindy type. Controls the strike zone. Moves around the outfield, mostly the corner outfield spots. A left-handed hitter. [Manager] Tony Vitello and [bench coach] Jayce Tingler both have familiarity, so a lot of great reports on the person. We’re happy to add them to the outfield group.”
The Giants currently have Heliot Ramos, Harrison Bader and Jung Hoo Lee locked into the starting spots in their outfield, but Brennan should have a chance to compete with Drew Gilbert, Jerar Encarnación, Luis Matos and non-roster invitee Jared Oliva for a reserve role this spring.
“There's been competition in every single place that I've been, and I've always just had to fight my way onto a roster,” Brennan said. “My ultimate goal is to help this team win a World Series in whatever that capacity may be -- bench spot, play left field, whatever. The ultimate goal is to help the team. That’s what it was when I was in Cleveland, and that’s what it’s going to be here.”
Brennan has posted notable platoon splits during his time in the Majors, recording a .720 career OPS against right-handed pitching, compared to a .453 OPS against lefties. He played all three outfield spots for the Guardians, but he got the majority of his reps in right field, where he made 198 of his 249 outfield appearances.
Brennan and Gilbert both have Minor League options remaining, so they could open the season at Triple-A Sacramento if they’re unable to crack the Opening Day roster. The Giants won’t have the same leeway with Encarnación and Matos, both of whom are out of options this spring.
Wick, 33, joined the Giants on a one-year Major League deal with a club option for 2027 on Friday, but he’s expected to miss the entire 2026 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November.
The Giants scouted Wick in Japan before he got hurt and were impressed after seeing him post a 1.13 ERA over 45 relief appearances for the Yokohama BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball in 2025. San Francisco won’t be seeing Wick on the mound anytime soon, but the club was willing to make a long-term bet on his ability to bounce back from his elbow surgery.
“We had some people who were really excited about what they saw with him overseas this year,” Minasian said. “He was a target for us pretty early. He threw extremely well. We had a scout who saw him and a lot of data to support that he would be a productive Major League pitcher. Obviously, having the surgery, we’re not expecting him back this year. As we got deeper into the offseason, we felt like it was a chance worth taking to get him and then have the option for next year.”
The Giants haven’t shied away from adding players who are coming off major surgeries this offseason, as they also signed left-hander Sam Hentges and right-hander Jason Foley, both of whom are coming off shoulder surgeries.
“I think it speaks to our confidence in our medical group and their ability to get pitchers and players back on the field and get the most out of them,” Minasian said. “The people who work in the medical group are fantastic, and then the tools they have between Scottsdale Stadium, Papago and Oracle, I think there's a lot of things we have in place that we can utilize to really help the health progress and get guys back on the field.”