Tweaking

From sfgiants.com:

I'm not seeing the roster crunch. A 12-man pitching staff means 13 position players. According to the Giants' depth chart, you can get down to 13 pretty easily: That's assuming that Schierholtz is parked on the major league bench, which might be the worst thing Brian Sabean could possibly do to the rebuilding process. Schierholtz needs at-bats more than he needs chartered flights, and it isn't even close. Unless Bruce Bochy commits to starting Schierholtz in some capacity for 60% of the games, Schierholtz should go back to Fresno for 2008.

Assuming that there aren't any spring training injuries or trades and that Sabean is of a similar mind regarding Schierholtz's development, the Giants will actually need to add a bench player. That's a big assumption. The article is written as if the Joe Crede trade is a forgone conclusion. We hardly knew ye, Jonathan Sanchez. If the gods intervene, though, and don't bequeath this awful roster an unnecessary one-year rental at a high price, there will be slim pickings. Here are the non-roster invitees with an outside shot:

And here's a screenshot of my detailed spreadsheet of MLB-ready prospects in the upper levels of the Giants system:

There really aren't too many appealing choices between the two groups, but I'm all for giving Justin Leone a spot on the bench. He's shown a little power and patience in the minors, and he can play every position but catcher. Not that I'd want to see him at shortstop, but he can at least do a reasonable facsimile of whatever Aurilia can do at short these days.

I hereby announce that Justin Leone is the winner of the 2008 Brian Dallimore Award for Unrealistic Expectations Placed on a Career Triple-A Journeyman. The BDAUEPCTAJs aren't just given to anyone, so congrats to Justin.

What the article really means, though: The Giants are trading for Joe Crede. It's a matter of when, not if.

What the real question should be in the sfgiants.com article: How can we give away Dave Roberts to create playing time for the young outfielders?

Yeah, well, I'm going to do it until the horse turns into a fine powder. And then I'll beat the powder. These are not idle threats.

Sorry. I got off track. Comment starter: Last bench spot? Will the Giants bury three young outfielders on the bench, will they trade for Crede, or will a mystery man emerge to take a utility role?