SAN FRANCISCO -- It appears Farhan Zaidi found a way to get a few young lottery tickets on the Giants’ roster while also keeping his manager happy.
Bruce Bochy said Tuesday night that Pablo Sandoval is on the team, along with Rule 5 picks Connor Joe and Travis Bergen and recently added outfielder Michael Reed.
There was some confusion with Sandoval, who was on the bubble in recent days after the Giants added Joe, a versatile right-handed bat. Initially, Bochy said Sandoval is on the team "right now," but he later said he didn't need to inform Sandoval of any decision because he was on the team until told otherwise.
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Either way, it appears Sandoval will be there in San Diego on Thursday with a manager who wanted his energy around.
"I think you guys know how much I think of Pablo and the job he has done for us," Bochy said.
Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations, hinted before the game that he was leaning toward keeping Alen Hanson instead to help with shortstop depth, but Hanson did not make the team. Yangervis Solarte will be the backup shortstop. Solarte also could see plenty of time in left field.
Here are some more observations from Tuesday's roster announcements:
San Francisco Giants
--- Mac Williamson seemed headed for the waiver wire before the game, but he was hit on the wrist in his final at-bat of the spring. An X-ray came back negative, but perhaps this buys the Giants some time with a talented player. In theory, they could place Williamson on the injured list to start the year and then send him to Triple-A Sacramento on a rehab assignment as they evaluate Joe and Reed.
--- Joe and Reed are the right-handed outfield options Zaidi wanted to add to the roster, and one could start in left field on Opening Day against Padres lefty Eric Lauer.
That would mean the left fielder and two bench bats -- one of those two, plus backup catcher Erik Kratz -- joined the organization in the last week of the spring. The bullpen includes a Rule 5 pick (Travis Bergen) and two right-handers picked up in February (Trevor Gott and Nick Vincent). That tells you what Zaidi thought of the depth pieces he inherited in November.
--- Joe is more of a utility man, so the Giants have just three true outfielders on their roster. That tells you what Zaidi thought of the outfield pieces he inherited in November.
--- Tom Murphy, claimed over the weekend, did not make the team. The Giants picked up Murphy with the hopes that they could sneak him through waivers, something the Rockies could not do, and get additional catching depth in the minors. That would be a hell of a sneaky move if they pull it off.
--- The Giants will go with 13 pitchers, with the three above joining Will Smith, Tony Watson, Sam Dyson, Mark Melancon and Reyes Moronta. Bochy would not name a closer this spring, and he declined to do so Tuesday, and no matter how the Giants frame it, that's weird.
There's no indication that a trade is coming, so you would think Smith would be the choice. We'll have to wait until Thursday for more answers here, but yeah, it's weird.
--- The rotation order: Madison Bumgarner, Derek Holland, Dereck Rodriguez, Jeff Samardzija, Drew Pomeranz.
--- Finally, a reminder that the Opening Day roster is one of the most overrated things in the sport. Pierce Johnson, Josh Osich and Roberto Gomez were on the field for the opener last year.
A lot of this mix will change over the next couple of weeks, and maybe by the time the Giants get to Los Angeles on Monday. Don't stress about the moves too much.