Luciano's time with Giants comes to an end

The Giants cut ties with Marco Luciano on Friday, announcing that their former top prospect had been claimed off waivers by the Pirates.

It’s a disappointing end to Luciano’s tenure with the Giants, who had high hopes for the 24-year-old slugger when they signed him for $2.6 million out of his native Dominican Republic in 2018.

Known for his electric bat speed and big right-handed pop, Luciano rose to become San Francisco’s No. 1 prospect and was featured on MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 100 prospects from 2020-24. But he didn’t pan out as expected after debuting with the Giants in 2023, batting .217 with a .590 OPS over 41 Major League games.

Initially viewed as the heir apparent to franchise icon Brandon Crawford, Luciano didn’t have the defensive chops to stick at shortstop in the big leagues in 2024, prompting the Giants to give him a brief look at second base before moving him to the outfield this year.

San Francisco hoped that shifting Luciano to left field would help unlock his bat, but he ended up spending the entire 2025 campaign at Triple-A Sacramento, where he hit .214 with a .748 OPS and 23 home runs over 125 games. He was especially productive against left-handed pitching (.986 OPS), but he was never viewed as a fit for the Giants’ roster and was going to be out of options next spring.

In Pittsburgh, Luciano will have a chance to reunite with catcher Joey Bart, another former top Giants prospect who ultimately benefited from a fresh start with a new organization. Luciano’s departure leaves the Giants with 39 players on their 40-man roster ahead of next week’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.