Giants acquired C Jancel Villarroel and international bonus pool money from the Astros for RHP Kai-Wei Teng.
The move opens up a 40-man roster spot, making room for Harrison Bader when his deal becomes official. Villarroel, who turned 21 a couple of weeks ago, hit .259/.351/.388 with 20 steals in a 2025 season spent mostly in Low-A ball. While he did more catching than anything else, he also made several starts in left field and at second base. It’s hard to say just what kind of power potential he has at 5-foot-8, but if he can last at catcher, he could be an interesting reserve down the line.
