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Giants sign Conor Gillaspie, surprising exactly no one

The former first-rounder will compete for a bench job in spring training.

By Grant Brisbee
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

It's been about three years since the Giants started their pattern of self-aware meta-transactions, and there's no point in starting now. According to Baseball America, the Giants have signed Conor Gillaspie, whom they originally drafted in the first round in 2008. He was the selection the Giants made after that catcher.

Gillaspie was something of a revelation for the White Sox in 2014, hitting .282/.336/.416, good for a 115 OPS+. He was the starter at the beginning of last season, but hit miserably until he was sold to the Angels, where he hit miserably again. When he's right, he's a high-contact lefty bat with a little patience and bat control, which isn't a bad combination to have on the bench.

When he's not right, he's a weak hitter with poor-to-abominable defense at third. There's usually a reason a 27-year-old player is a free agent months after being acquired for cash, and it's not because his skills are rare. Still, as a part of the bench competition, he makes a fair amount of sense.

More importantly, we get to update the list! This is a list of old friends the Giants have re-acquired in the last decades:

  • Darren Ford
  • Jackson Williams
  • Jesse Foppert
  • Todd Linden
  • John Bowker
  • Russ Ortiz
  • Boof Bonser
  • Brad Penny
  • Eric Hacker
  • Andres Torres
  • Kevin Correia
  • Travis Blackley
  • Scott Munter
  • Ryan Vogelsong
  • Travis Ishikawa*
  • Kevin Frandsen
  • Nick Noonan
  • Mike Kickham

* won pennant

As a random, left-handed bat from the bowels of Baseball America's minor-league transactions page, you wouldn't care. But the Giants have a gift, and they know that bringing back every last old friend will make you care. Gillaspie represents a link to the hopes and dreams we used to have when the Giants were lousy and championship-free. "Maybe that catcher will turn out to be good, and maybe this third baseman will be Wade Boggs. I love this draft."

There's still time for that draft to work out, you know. Other than the franchise player on a Hall of Fame path, there's still a chance for the Giants to get something cool out of that draft. Welcome back, Conor Gillaspie.

Who's in the mood for an inside-the-park home run? All of us, I'm sure.

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