Deep diving in the grab bag

It’s that dead period just before Spring Training where anyone not named Dexter Fowler, Ian Desmond or Yovani Gallardo knows where he’ll be in a couple of weeks. But when you’re trying to pound out an entry most every day you have to come up with something, so here are a few bon-mots from the SSFGF grab bag.

Backstop Day at AT&T

Apparently the latest promotion will involve the first 20,000 fans through the gates taking home a real live catcher. The Giants certainly seem to be stockpiling backstops for the eventuality.

The latest addition to San Francisco's the ever-growing collection is one-time-top-prospect-turned-South-of-the-Border journeyman Miguel Olivio.

The cross-bay wanna-be-rivals made Olivo a top pick back when a first-term Bill Clinton was sneaking around with interns.  He never panned out, making stops with the White Sox, Mariners, Padres, Royals, Rockies, Seattle again, and Miami. His last MLB employer was the hated Dodgers, where he managed to ingratiate himself to Giants fans by biting off a teammate’s ear.

Olivo spent 2015 in the Mexican League, where he hit .281 in nearly 400 at-bats. His lifetime .240/.275/.417 MLB splits are more pedestrian, and he’s only topped the .250 mark four times. After a .269 campaign in Colorado in 2010, he fell off a cliff in Tour of Duty II in the Pacific Northwest, getting just 248 plate appearances over three seasons while doing a lambada with the Mendoza line.

Assuming Olivo gets an invite to Spring Training, the Giants will have eight catchers in camp. The team is likely to break for San Francisco toting only Buster Posey and Andrew Susac, and if a third guy comes along for the ride we’d expect it to be Trevor Brown, who last season did get a 39 ABs for the Giants and didn’t embarrass himself (.239 BA). The rest will populate the minors or be sent packing, unless the Giants make some kind of a deal.

The Olivio signing is odd to say the least. Veteran insurance is commonplace, but the Giants just signed George Kottaras to apparently fill that same need. Both of these moves come after the Giants parted company with long-time reserve and frequent flyer/ I-80 stalwart Hector Santiago.

Depth is great, but a repeat of  2005 when catching was in such flux that Yamid “Wicked” Haad went from the bigs in 2005 to a steroid suspension to Single-A San Jose a year later isn’t something anyone relishes. Let’s hope there’s a plan for this other than extra bodies for camp. Long-time bullpen catcher Billy Hayes could do that, and to our recollection he has yet to bite anyone.

Not Exactly Getting Their “Freak” On.

As much as it pains us to say, Tim Lincecum’s tenure in San Francisco is likely over after nine glorious seasons, three rings and 108 wins. GM Bobby Evans didn’t toss Prime Time Timmy Jim under the bus or send him a fruit basket with the thank-you card, but he did tell The Boston Globe (scroll down) that the team is likely done making substantive off-season moves.

With Lincecum planning to throw for potential suitors later this month, ostensibly to prove his health after hip surgery, the team is expected to show token interest but the match just doesn’t seem to be there. Lincecum wants to start, and the Giants rotation is an extra $220 million worth of locked. He could always return to a swing-man role (the recent woes of Matt Cain and Jake Peavy would indicate he’d have opportunities), but you can be sure someone else is going to offer starter money if Lincecum shows even a hint of the old magic.

The Padres and Marlins supposedly have expressed interest, and Lincecum’s agent told The Chron as many as 20 teams have requested medical info. The Padres interest is understandable; they’re probably tired of being the one team he still owns. Expect Seattle to be interested in bringing the local product home as well.

San Francisco could have a potential opening: our projected roster only has 11 hurlers as locks, but a two-time Cy Young winner certainly would take a move to the pen as a demotion. That’s a pitty considering how electric he was coming out of the pen in the 2012 postseason. Finding a way to stay in Orange and Black would further cement his status as a local cult here, but it’s a long-shot at best.

If he departs, let’s hope it’s for somewhere outside the NL West. Seeing him as an adversary would be about as heartbreaking as watching Willie McCovey play two years in San Diego.  Giants fans would turn away from the sight faster than a gazelle forced to watch a safari episode of Wild Kingdom.

If nothing else, pray his departure is handled with class. Giants fans still have a bad Pablo Sandoval aftertaste, and another dose of cruel medicine won’t be welcome.

Doing the Outfield Shuffle

One of the few areas of mystery facing the Giants in 2016 is the make-up for the outfield. Denard Span’s arrival gives the Giants three legitimate center fielders, with incumbent Angel Pagan obviously the weakest of a triumvirate than includes Gregor Blanco.

Speculation centers around Pagan’s status. It seems likely that Span would supplant him, his newly-minted three-year-deal setting him up to assume the role anyway when Pagan’s contract expires after this season. Multiple reports had the Giants looking for offseason trade partners willing to take on the $11.25 million Pagan is owed this year, making it even more likely that preparations are underway for an Angel-less afterlife.

It wasn’t long ago that Pagan was widely viewed as the team’s spark plug, and the record with and without him bore that out. But his health issues and increasingly-evident defensive shortcomings appear to have caught up with him. The Giants can minimize the defensive impact by putting him in left, and Blanco is always available to spell either man.

The other question mark is the fifth-outfielder job. We expect former Padre/ Athletic / Ranger Kyle Blanks to get every opportunity to win the job. Leaning toward experience is just something you’d expect the Giants to do.

Despite his travels, Blanks is just 29 and is a legitimate power threat.  He’s a pure chicken-or-feathers hitter -- he averaged 19 HRs and a .241 BA playing most of his career in pitcher-friendly San Diego -- but he would provide some thunder off the bench. He could also spell Brandon Belt at first base while giving Jarret Parker and Mac Williamson another much-needed year to hone their craft in AAA.

Of the multitude of minor-league and under-the –radar signing the Giants made this offseason, the acquisition of Blanks made the most sense. It stands to reason he’s got the inside track at the job.

And to our knowledge, he hasn’t bitten anyone either.