Giants sign Eddys Leonard to minors contract

The versatile 25-year-old passed through waivers unclaimed and will continue to function as extra depth for the Giants at the Triple-A level. He went 2-for-8 (.250) in his limited action with the big league club.

Leonard went 2-for-8 during a three-game stint with the Giants in his exposure to the big leagues. The 25-year-old offers some defensive versatility and makes sense in a bench role. It’s a bit surprising he didn’t stick around longer, but he didn’t have much of a path to regular at-bats with San Francisco moving forward.

Leonard had slashed .287/.371/.502 with 12 homers and eight steals in 288 plate appearances for Triple-A Nashville in Milwaukee’s system before being let go. In just eight games in Sacramento, Leonard has hit .143/.273/.571 with four home runs and five RBI. The 25-year-old has played second base, third base, and right field this season, but he figures to get a chance to see regular reps at second base with Luis Arraez now in Philadelphia.

Leonard spent 2022-24 on the 40-man rosters of the Dodgers and then the Tigers, but he never has gotten a chance to play in the majors. The 25-year-old hit .239/.304/.435 with 20 homers and 11 steals for the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate last season. The odds are still good that he’ll log some MLB bench time at some point, but a sustained career seems unlikely.

It didn’t take long for Leonard to find a new opportunity as he heads to Atlanta as extra organizational infield depth. The 24-year-old was cut loose earlier this week by the Tigers after batting .253/.320/.435 with 11 homers and nine steals in 82 games last year in the minors.

It’s a little bit of a surprise to see Leonard let go, as the 24-year-old has had success in the minors; including a .263/.326/.455 slash with Triple-A Toledo last year. One can’t help but wonder if this means Leonard may be heading to play overseas.

No real surprises here among the latest cuts for Detroit. Leonard is probably the closest to contributing at the highest level after batting .263/.326/.455 with 10 homers and seven steals across 282 plate appearances last year at Triple-A Toledo. Flores, no relation to the Giants first baseman, was limited to just 20 appearances last year in the minors due to injury, but was a highly-touted pitching prospect just two years ago.

Leonard was non-tendered in November but the Tigers will bring back the 24-year-old after he slashed .263/.326/.455 with 10 homers, 26 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 282 plate appearances at Triple-A Toledo. He could get a chance at filling a backup infielder role in Detroit if he has a solid season in the minors in 2025 and he could make $760,000 if he gets MLB at-bats.

All three players had been designated for assignment on Tuesday as the Tigers attempted to clear some room on their 40-man roster, so it’s not shocking that none of the players were tendered contracts. Leonard actually had a decent season in 67 games at Triple-A Toledo in 2024 — hitting .263/.326/.455 with 10 homers, 26 RBI and seven swipes in 282 plate appearances — but never got an opportunity at the big-league level. It may need to be a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, but Leonard shouldn’t have any difficulty finding another opportunity.

It’s a bit of housekeeping for Detroit as they manage to clear three spots on their 40-man roster to shield some of their better prospects from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.