With Juan Uribe coming back, and with the Giants still looking to add a bat and possibly another reliever, the organization will have players spilling over the sides of the 25- and 40-man rosters. The 25-man roster will have a permutation of the following players:
C
Posey/FA
Whiteside
INF
Ishikawa
Sandoval
Sanchez
Renteria
Uribe
DeRosa
Frandsen
OF
Rowand
Bowker
Schierholtz
Torres
Velez
Lewis
SP
Cain
Zito
Sanchez
4th starter/Bumgarner
5th starter/Lincecum
RP
Wilson
Affeldt
Romo
Medders
Runzler
Valdez/other
That’s 26 players, not including the BIG BAT that is sure to show up any day now. Actually, I included Frandsen only because he’s out of options. He has a slightly better chance of making the roster over Tom Brokaw, but that’s only because Brokaw’s hip is acting up. So the 25-man-roster is set until the Giants a) acquire another player, or b) decide to go with a 12-man pitching staff.
If the Giants really do acquire another hitter, which of those outfielders is expendable? Which one of those outfielders doesn’t help the Giants’ chances of winning baseball games in 2010 more than the other players on the list? Yeah, that’s the one I was thinking of too. But he’s a starter now. Remember those 100 at-bats in July?
Yeah, and it’s only December. The beating will get much worse as March approaches. I’ll make that horse pay.
So if the Giants acquire another hitter, either Bowker goes to the minors (which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if he isn’t starting in the majors) or Lewis is traded/designated. That'll teach him to take a walk.
I guess that’s not really as complicated as I thought. I just wonder what Brian Sabean thinks when Velez’s name never comes up in trade talks. "Oh, they must know he’s untouchable," probably. "That’s why they don’t ask for Lincecum, either."
Open Roster Logistics Thread. I think that Brian Bocock actually has a chance to be removed from the 40-man roster this time.