SAN FRANCISCO -- With his first two sets of decisions, Farhan Zaidi has opened quite a few seats at the table.
The Giants' new president of baseball operations added just three players ahead of the deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft, and two more were non-tendered Friday. That means Zaidi and the rest of the front office have a 40-man roster with just 34 players on it.
The Giants traditionally have just one or two open spots this time of year, but Zaidi is looking to overhaul the roster, and plenty of familiar names became available Friday.
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Here are five players who were non-tendered by their former teams and could prove to be options for the Giants as they try to put a more talented group on the field in 2019.
OF Billy Hamilton
Fun fact: The former Reds center fielder has a .631 OPS in six big league seasons but a .834 OPS against the Giants. No wonder they had interest in him last offseason.
The Giants were 14th in the NL in on-base percentage last season, and Hamilton has finished at .299 back-to-back years, so he's far from an ideal fit, especially with Steven Duggar already in center.
San Francisco Giants
And yet ... could you imagine Duggar and Hamilton roaming AT&T Park's massive outfield together?
Hamilton is not a fix for the lineup, but for a front office that wants to add starting pitching, perhaps he can provide value with his defense and baserunning, helping the Giants win more of those close games that have gotten away the past couple of years.
[RELATED: Giants keep three veterans]
OF Avisail Garcia
Speaking of guys the Giants had interest in a year ago. Garcia was let go by the White Sox after posting a .236/.281/.438 line, but he's just a year removed from a .380 on-base percentage, and even this year, he had 19 homers in just 93 games. He's 27, plays the outfield and has power. That automatically makes him a candidate to help the Giants.
IF/OF Chris Owings
Zaidi wants more versatility on the roster, and the 27-year-old played three infield spots and all three outfield spots during his Diamondbacks career. He won’t be a starter anywhere, but he has moderate pop and good speed.
OF Robbie Grossman
He had a .367 on-base percentage last year for the Twins, and he’s at .355 for his career. Adding OBP guys is one of the easiest ways for the Giants to improve their lineup.
Grossman doesn’t provide much power, but he’s capable of playing both corner outfield spots and should come cheap.
[RELATED: When Giants typically start making offseason moves]
RHP Shelby Miller
It’s a good bet that at some point the Giants will add another veteran pitcher who used to be a budding star but has lost his way. They hit the jackpot last year with Derek Holland, and the Curt Young/Buster Posey/AT&T Park combo should work again.
Zaidi’s Dodgers took plenty of chances on risky pitchers, and Miller was an All-Star just three years ago. He had Tommy John and was bad when he returned, but it’s still a big arm, and he’s just 28.