Giants Bring Back Pitcher Cole Waites with Minor League Contract Extension

The San Francisco Giants have re-signed Cole Waites on a minor league contract, as reported on the team’s official transactions page. Waites was non-tendered last week, and the new minor league pact means that the Giants won’t need to use a 40-man roster spot on the 25-year-old righty.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in mid-September, it is highly unlikely that Waites will be able to play in the 2024 season unless he completes rehab in time for a brief appearance right at the end of the regular season. While the transactions page did not specify the details of Waites’ contract, it would not be surprising if it turned out to be a two-year deal or if the Giants extended his contract in 2024 once they get a clearer picture of his rehab progress.

Selected by the Giants in the 18th round of the 2019 draft, Waites has played in the major leagues in the last two seasons, pitching a total of eight innings over 10 games with a 6.75 ERA and six walks and strikeouts each. Known for his hard-throwing but wild style of pitching, Waites has a 15.32% walk rate over his 103 career minor league innings, but also possesses a fastball that consistently reaches the upper-90s and has been recorded at 100mph. When Waites manages to find the strike zone, he is extremely effective, boasting a 37.61% strikeout rate against minor league batters.

The potential is evident if Waites can combine his powerful throwing abilities with average control, but his injury history presents another obstacle to his future success. Waites also missed a significant portion of the 2021 season due to knee surgery, and with the 2020 minor league season being canceled, he has only played in 102 games and pitched 103 innings as a professional.