The SF Giants have reportedly signed veteran catcher Max Stassi to a minor league contract. Stassi gives the Giants depth in the upper minors, but his presence likely spells the end of Curt Casalis’ second stint with the organization.

The latest signing likely marks the end of the veteran catcher’s second stint with the SF Giants

It’s worth noting that Stassi has only appeared in five rehab games over the last two years due to a family emergency and a hip injury. It’s hard to know exactly what kind of workload he can handle after such a long layoff.

Other than that, there are limited spots on the 40-man roster and in the upper minors. The Giants listed Patrick Bailey, Tom Murphy and Blake Sabol as the three catchers on the 40-man roster. Murphy is injury-prone and the organization probably doesn’t see Sabol as a catcher anymore, so there’s plenty of opportunity for another backstop to join the roster.

On the other hand, Logan Porter and Stassi will likely be some of the best non-roster options behind the plate for Sacramento. While teams can never have enough catchers, there may simply not be enough roster spots to add another.

That could mean that Curt Casali will likely look elsewhere if he doesn’t hang up his boots after 11 seasons. Murphy landed on the injured list around the same time Bailey had two separate stints on the concussion list.

The team’s catching depth was tested early. The Giants solved some of that problem by bringing Casali back and immediately adding him to the active roster. He remained with the Giants for the remainder of the year, serving as Bailey’s backup.

The performance was about what you would expect from an aging catcher, as Casali posted a .543 OPS with one home run and eight RBI. He had a solid 10.4 percent walk rate as he continued to be patient and make the work count. However, he doesn’t offer much offensive value otherwise.

While Casali performed as a below-average defensive catcher, there are still elements of defense that are difficult to quantify, and pitchers liked it when he was behind the plate. He was also well respected in the clubhouse.

The addition of Max Stassi gives the Giants a stronger defensive presence at catcher and the ability to replicate or improve on Casalis’ offensive production. There’s a good chance that after the Stassi move, any chance of Casali returning is gone.