San Francisco Giants v Chicago Cubs / Tony Avelar/San Francisco Giants/GettyImages
This move is not an indicator of their progress from injury. Rather, it is a procedural move as teams cannot use the 60-day injured list during the offseason. Those 40-man roster spots become valuable around this time of year. The Giants’ 40-man roster currently stands at 39.
The Giants have a few more notable roster deadlines coming up later this month including deciding whether to tender contracts for arbitration-eligible players and protecting prospects from the Rule 5 draft.
Lee is the most notable name from the group above. He signed a six-year, $113 million pact last offseason. He posted a .641 OPS with two home runs, eight RBI, and 15 runs in 138 plate appearances. The lefty bat has excellent contact skills as he only struck out only 13 times during his rookie campaign.
The speedy outfielder misplayed a couple of fly balls early in the year but adjusted nicely before his season was cut short after he sustained a dislocated shoulder while colliding into the center field wall at Oracle Park. He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in May.
On the other hand, Flores had a season that he would like to forget. At the very least, he will begin the season with the organization after exercising his $3.5 million player option last weekend. The Giants could look for an upgrade at the positions he covers and decide to part ways at that point.
The veteran bat struggled to a .595 OPS with four home runs and 26 RBI in 242 plate appearances last season while never looking too comfortable at the plate. His year came to an end in July after experiencing continued knee discomfort and undergoing a procedure to alleviate the pain. Flores is one year removed from an .863 OPS with 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 454 plate appearances.
Both Keaton Winn and Tom Murphy appeared briefly with the Giants last season. Winn got off to a solid start but he struggled after experiencing nagging elbow discomfort. He posted a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts.
On the other hand, Murphy tallied just four hits in 34 at-bats in his first season with San Francisco. He sustained a sprained left knee in May and did not make it back to the field last season.
