And then there were 25; well 26, but ....

As the Giants prepare to break camp, two things are clear: we know what the roster will be on opening day, and there’s no way it stays that way.

San Francisco announced nine more cuts over the weekend, answering who the fifth outfielder will be (no one), who will survive the battle of utility men (both), and are the Giants stupid enough to again carry 13 pitchers (they are).

Hey, Mom! I got a job!
 (MLB Photo)

The Opening Day roster isn’t totally set, the Giants are carrying 26 guys for 25 spots, but it looks like injury will take care of that. Andrew Susac is expected to start the season on the DL which means Trevor Brown, who outplayed Susac dramatically all spring anyway, should be the back-up catcher.

The rest of the spots were made clear by attrition, with the Giants making it clear that several players will have to be position flexible to cover needs.

Outfielders Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker were shipped to AAA Sacramento and Gorkys Hernandez was reassigned to minor league camp. That leaves Gregor Blanco as the only reserve outfielder so the fifth guy is, technically, starting first baseman Brandon Belt.

 Belt’s back-up is the starting catcher; do we have to tell you that’s Buster Posey? A line-up with Belt in left, Posey at first and Brown behind the plate is a real possibility.

The apparently-unsinkable Ehire Adrianza

The other choice is putting Kelby Tomlinson or Ehire Adrianza at first; both saw limited action their during the Cactus League, presumably so neither gets lost behind the dugout should they be forced into action. 

Those two were supposed to battle it out for the utility role but the Giants have opted to keep both, puzzling considering the outfield shortage.

Tomlinson adds to 'infield depth' 

We can only assume that the Giants aren’t yet willing to part with option-less Adrianza, which boggles the mind considering his previous mediocre to poor stints in The Show. 

That also meant a trip to minor league camp for prodigal son Conor Gillaspie, who equated himself well in his return to the Orange and Black. One would have thought he’d be the logical back-up to Matt Duffy, but logic doesn’t seem to apply here – at least not yet.

Other moves saw reliever Mike Broadway sent to Triple-A Sacramento while lefty Braulio Lara, catcher George Kottaras, and infielders Grant Green and Ramiro Pena (all non-roster invitees) got the news they’d be bunking with the kids for the rest of camp.

And then there’s the pitching issue. As noted, Broadway got the old Spanish Archer yet the Giants are still going with an eight-man pen, presumably because health setbacks have limited Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain to a handful of innings. They’ll be on short leashes, but the hope has to be that they’ll get up to speed quickly and one-less emergency arm will be required.

It’s easy to see where changes might be made. That 13^th pitcher (probably Cory Gearrin) might well be swapped for a fifth outfielder or third catcher in a couple of weeks. Tomlinson could be optioned or Adrianza jettisoned to make room for either of those, or of a legitimate corner reserve. 

With other squads also making their cuts, any one of those moves could make room for someone we haven’t even thought of yet.

And Tim Lincecum remains available.

Here is your 25-man roster:

C – Buster Posey, Trevor Brown.

INF – Brandon Belt, Joe Panik, Brandon Crawford, Matt Duffy, Ehire Adrianza, Kelby Tomlinson.

OF – Hunter Pence, Denard Span, Angel Pagan, Grego Blanco.

SP – Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy.

RP – Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Javy Lopez, Hunter Strickland, Josh Osich, Cory Gearrin, Chris Heston, George Kontos.