Giants protect three more pitchers from Rule 5 draft

Where’s Waldis? Gone. The Giants waived him Friday.

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brett Pill was outrighted to triple-A Fresno Friday and pitcher Waldis Joaquin was placed on waivers, freeing up two spots on the club’s 40-man roster.

Those spots were filled when the Giants added right-handed pitchers Jose Casilla and Steve Edlefsen and southpaw Clayton Tanner to the 40-man roster, thereby protecting them from being exposed to the Rule 5 draft, which takes place Dec. 9.

With today’s transactions, the Giants now have 37 players on the 40-man roster.

Casilla, who is the younger brother to Giants relief pitcher Santiago, spent the 2010 campaign at Class A Augusta forging a 4-1 record with a 1.16 ERA and 14 saves in 46 relief appearances. The 21-year-old right-hander was named to his first All-Star team in 2010, making the South Atlantic League’s squad.

The five-year professional has logged a 15-6 record with a 2.33 ERA and 26 saves in 97 relief appearances. He was signed by the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2006.

Edlefsen posted a 7-2 record with a 2.38 ERA and six saves in 49 relief appearances in his second season at Triple-A Fresno. The 2010 PCL All-Star has quickly climbed San Francisco’s organizational ladder since being drafted by the club in the 16th round of the 2007 Draft. In parts of just two seasons at the Triple-A level, the 26-year-old has gone 12-2 with a 2.39 ERA and eight saves in 71 relief outings.

A native of Minneapolis, Edlefsen has posted a record of 25-8 with a 2.46 ERA and 17 saves in 156 relief appearances in his four seasons at the Minor League level.

Tanner, 22, went 9-9 with a 3.68 ERA in 27 starting assignments for Double-A Richmond in 2010. The left-hander, who was named to the Eastern League All-Star team, finished ninth in the league in ERA.

Born in Mona Vale, Australia, Tanner grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) High School. In five seasons at the minor league level, he’s gone 45-33 with a 3.53 ERA in 117 games (100 starts).

Pill, 26, batted .275 (143-for-520) with 34 doubles, 16 home runs and 84 RBI at Triple-A Fresno in 2010.

Joaquin, 23, appeared in just four games with the Giants this season, allowing six runs (five earned) in 4.2 innings. He spent the majority of the 2010 season with Triple-A Fresno, going 1-2 with a 4.93 ERA in 23 games (five starts). He underwent surgery on his lower back (microdiscectomy) on Nov. 10.