The San Francisco Giants made a quiet but calculated move this week, signing former Pirates outfielder Jared Oliva to a minor league deal. It’s the kind of under-the-radar addition that doesn’t make headlines, but it does give the Giants a little more flexibility as they piece together their outfield puzzle heading into spring.
The timing of the move is noteworthy. It came just as the Giants lost outfielder Justin Dean on waivers to the Cubs.
While neither player is a household name, the similarities are clear: both bring speed, defensive versatility, and a right-handed bat to the table. In many ways, Oliva is a direct replacement for Dean-just with a bit more big-league experience under his belt.
Assuming Oliva gets an invite to big league camp-and that seems likely-he’ll be thrown into a crowded competition for outfield reps. Jerar Encarnación, Luis Matos, Drew Gilbert, and Grant McCray are already in that mix, and all four sit on the 40-man roster, giving them a leg up. Encarnación and Matos, in particular, are out of minor league options, so the Giants will need to make decisions on them sooner rather than later.
What’s curious here is the bigger picture. Right field remains a glaring question mark for San Francisco.
It’s been that way all offseason, and so far, the front office hasn’t made a significant move to address it. Maybe they’re banking on internal development.
Maybe they’re waiting for the market to break their way. But with spring training right around the corner, the clock is ticking-and the options are thinning.
Right now, the Giants are staring down the possibility of entering the season with two potential weak spots in the lineup: catcher and right field. That’s a tough ask for any team, especially one trying to stay competitive in a division that doesn’t leave much room for error.
The hope is that someone from this group-Matos, Gilbert, McCray, or now Oliva-steps up. But hope isn’t a strategy, and the Giants know that.
As for Oliva, he brings a few tools that could make him useful in the right situation. Drafted in the seventh round back in 2017 out of the University of Arizona, he’s posted a solid .268/.343/.412 slash line over eight minor league seasons. His 2025 campaign in the Brewers’ system was respectable-he put up a .748 OPS in Triple-A over nearly 400 plate appearances.
He’s had a couple of cups of coffee in the majors with Pittsburgh, but the results weren’t pretty-just a .435 OPS in 59 at-bats. Still, there’s more to his game than the stat line suggests.
Oliva is an elite baserunner, having swiped 225 bags in 269 attempts in the minors. That’s not just speed-that’s efficiency.
And in an era where stolen bases are making a comeback, that’s a skill that can’t be overlooked.
Defensively, he’s capable across all three outfield spots. That kind of versatility is always valuable, especially for a team that’s still trying to sort out its depth chart. And while his bat hasn’t translated to big-league success, he’s shown flashes against left-handed pitching in the minors-an area where the Giants struggled mightily last season.
Bottom line: Oliva isn’t a game-changer, but he’s a piece. A right-handed-hitting outfielder with speed, defensive range, and a track record of success against lefties-those traits align with what the Giants need. Whether he can carve out a role remains to be seen, but for a team still searching for answers in the outfield, it’s a low-risk move with some upside.
