Five Players the San Francisco Giants Need to Make Room on 40 Man For

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The San Francisco Giants spent the majority of the off season making small moves.

That wasn’t for a lack of effort, as the San Francisco Giants were said to have pursued Marwin Gonzalez, DJ LeMaheiu and most notably Bryce Harper, among others.vHowever, the only players to have signed on the dotted line have been incremental moves.

Some were signed to major league deals, like Derek Holland, Drew Pomeranz and Pat Venditte. While Venditte has minor league options and can be sent down to the minor leagues, Holland and Pomeranz are both going to make the 25 man roster.

Some of those off season moves were for non roster invitees, who are not part of the current 40 man roster. If any player makes the team as a non roster invitee, then the Giants have decisions to make on who to remove from the 40 man roster.

The Giants have several veteran players that could be added to avoid losing them. Not only will there need to be decisions made about who would be designated for assignment from the 40 man, but then the team has to decide who to remove from the 25 man opening day roster.

Some, like Venditte, have options, and could be sent to Triple-A Sacramento in a numbers crunch. Pitchers like Andrew Suarez, Ty Blach, and Ray Black and every day players like Aramis Garcia, Chris Shaw and Austin Slater could all begin the season in Sacramento for that very reason.

The decision will likely not be made until right before opening day. So here are the most likely players the Giants might need to make room for.

SAN DIEGO, CA – AUGUST 15: Rene Rivera #44 of the Los Angeles Angels hits a solo home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on August 15, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

The Giants added several veteran catchers in the off-season to compete with the incumbent, Garcia, for the backup catcher job.

The first move of the Farhan Zaidi era was a catcher, Cameron Rupp, but as Spring Training went on, it was clear that the Giants had better options, and he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations.

If the Giants decide to start Garcia in the minors, there are two options for the back up job.

Rene Rivera

Rivera was added in the off-season at the request of part time general manager, Pablo Sandoval.

His experience behind the dish at the major league level and in the National League West with the San Diego Padres, should all play a role in whether the Giants decide to add him to the 25 man roster for Opening Day.

In just 18 spring at bats, Rivera already has six hits, including three doubles and two runs batted in, for a slashline of .333/.400/.500 for an OPS of .900.

Stephen Vogt

Vogt, a former All-Star, is a fan favorite in the Bay Area from his time in Oakland. He is still recovering from major shoulder surgery, and has yet to catch this spring. However, his bat is fully healthy.

In 12 spring at bats, Vogt also has six hits, including two runs batted in, for a slash-line of .500/.571/.500 for an OPS of 1.071. Both Vogt and Rivera may have small sample sizes, but it is clear that both could be nice additions to the 25 man roster.

With Vogt not able to catch yet, it is more likely that he could pass through waivers and accept an assignment in Triple-A. That becomes the other factor with these non roster decisions, is that players could decide to become free agents again if they don’t make the team.

If Rivera is asked to go to the minors, he might say no and become a free agent.

At the moment, it seems the likeliest scenario is Rivera makes the team, Vogt is designated for assignment with the hopes of not being picked up by another team and accepting an assignment with the Sacramento River Cats and Garcia is sent down because he has options.

Yangervis Solarte

Solarte is the only infielder that might force the Giants to change their 25 man outlook. Like Rivera, he was brought in by the Giants best recruiter, Sandoval.

Solarte, who also has major league experience with the Padres, is a nice addition to the bench and the Giants infield. He can play multiple positions, including shortstop, where the Giants 25 man has been thin in recent years behind Brandon Crawford.

If he makes the team, it might mean saying goodbye to Alen Hanson. Hanson, who is out of options and must make the team out of camp, is the team’s other infield option on the bubble.

Joe Panik, Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and Sandoval seem like locks for the 25 man roster.

The team could decide to keep both Hanson and Solarte and save one less outfielder or pitcher, but that remains to be seen. In most recent years, the team has kept two infielders and two outfielders along with a backup catcher on their bench. For that reason, both Solarte and Hanson are looked at as possible options in left field to give themselves a better chance at being kept.

Solarte has the second most at bats this spring and is hitting a respectable slashline of .276/.300/.478 for an OPS of .778.

Gerardo Parra

Rounding out the Sandoval recruitment fair is Parra, who has extensive experience in the NL West with both the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks.

He has always been a player who fit the Giants mold of defense first in the outfield and timely hitting at the plate.

In 24 at bats this spring, he is tied for second with Solarte and Longoria for total bases with 13 and is hitting a slashline of .250/.269/.542 for an OPS of .811.

With the ability to play all three outfield positions and possessing the best arm in camp, it is very likely that Parra makes the team.

Cameron Maybin

Maybin has changed his swing, worked in the off-season with Barry Bonds, and has the same connection as most on this list, being a former Padre. He can also play all three outfield positions and leads the team this spring in at bats. The Giants are clearly giving both Parra and Maybin a chance to win an opening day roster spot.

Maybin has done helped himself at all, however, with his production on the field and his behavior off it. In 30 at bats, he is hitting only .200/.250/.267 for an OPS of .517.

To make matters worse, he was arrested March 1 for driving under the influence.His numbers, incidentally, have improved since the incident, as it was pointed out by Mercury News columnist, Bud Geracie, that his blood alcohol level of .127 was higher than his batting average of .105, at the time of his arrest.

The fact that he is still with the team and is still getting opportunities suggests that the Giants see him as a possible option for the 25 man. This could happen too, because Drew Ferguson, the team’s rule 5 pick up, is not playing well, and other options in the outfield like Shaw and Slater, have options.

Mac Williamson, who is out of options, and Steven Duggar, who could begin the season in the minors if the Giants chose to, seem like they will make the team out of camp. That would still leave room for the Giants to add both Parra and Maybin to the 25 man. That is also assuming the Giants don’t add another player to the outfield mix, as it has been reported that Zaidi is looking to add another outfielder via trade.

Nick Vincent

While the Giants are struggling with depth in the outfield, they have tremendous depth in the bullpen. While veteran left handers Will Smith and Tony Watson have been rumored to be on the trade block, nothing has happened yet, and keeping them allows the Giants to have as strong a pen as any in the game.

The Giants also have players without options trying to make the 25 man, including Sam Dyson, Chris Stratton and Trevor Gott. When you add Travis Bergen, who is a Rule 5 pick, there will absolutely be a numbers crunch in deciding who makes the opening day roster.

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The Giants, similar to sending Duggar to the minors to make room, could consider sending Reyes Moronta or Dereck Rodriguez to the minors to begin the season as well.

While all three have options, it is highly unlikely that any of the three will start the year in Sacramento.

Moronta and Rodriguez may have been the two best pitchers for the Giants in 2018, and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.

That brings us to Vincent, who is a right hander with major league experience and more importantly, major league success.

Last season for the Seattle Mariners, Vincent pitched well, with 56 strikeouts to just 15 walks in 56.1 innings pitched over 62 games.

His only flaw seems to be that he is not a flame thrower, but with his strikeout to walk ratio at 4.05 for his 7 year career, that will play at Oracle Park.

Next. Top Four Trade Candidates for an Outfielder

It might take the Giants trading Smith or Watson or even moving high priced former closer Mark Melancon, to make room for Vincent, but it seems the Giants will need to find a way.

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