SAN FRANCISCO -- The main pieces of the Giants roster -- the lineup, rotation, back end of the bullpen -- currently look just about exactly the same as they did in 2018, but Farhan Zaidi has been somewhat busy working on the back end.
When the Giants break camp in a little over two months, they expect to have a different look on their bench and quite a few new names on the 40-man roster. Some players who saw hundreds of at-bats and dozens of innings last season already have been jettisoned, and while it's been a slow market, for the most part former Giants have already found new homes.
You'd be forgiven for missing some of these transactions, so here's a recap of where members of the 2018 Giants have ended up this winter ...
Gorkys Hernandez: Projected to make around $1.6 million in arbitration, he was non-tendered and somewhat surprisingly signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox that will pay him $1 million if he's in the big leagues. That's a difficult roster to crack, but perhaps he looked around early and saw that this would be a brutal market for outfielders.
Andrew McCutchen: One of the few outfielders to cash in, he got three years and $50 million from the Phillies. That's a nice landing spot for McCutchen, who still lives in the Pittsburgh area.
Hunter Pence: He just had a Winter Ball run with Tores del Este in the Dominican, hitting .276 with one homer in 29 at-bats. He doesn't have a new MLB home yet.
Nick Hundley: Still on the market. A reunion with the Giants seems somewhat unlikely given Farhan Zaidi's stated preference for a backup catcher who can play other spots.
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Gregor Blanco: A year ago he picked the Giants over the Mets, and this offseason he did end up signing that minor league deal in New York. The Mets later traded for Keon Broxton, which hurts Blanco's spring chances.
Kelby Tomlinson: Let go by the Giants early, he quickly signed on with the Diamondbacks.
Austin Jackson: He wasn't much better with the Mets than with the Giants and is one of many veterans on the free agent outfield. Some of them will not find a new home.
Hunter Strickland: It's no longer a surprise when guys like Jackson are unsigned. It's a little surprising that Strickland, non-tendered in November, is still a free agent.
Chase d'Arnaud: He signed a minor league contract with the Rangers, his fifth organization in the last three years.
Pierce Johnson: He made 37 appearances for the Giants last year but will head overseas, having signed a deal with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan.
Cory Gearrin: A Giant, Ranger and Athletic in 2018, he recently signed a one-year, $1.4 million deal with the Mariners.
Miguel Gomez: Once a promising bat-first infield prospect, he was let go and seemingly has not found a new organization. He hit just .176 in winter ball.
Casey Kelly: Like Johnson, he's headed overseas. He signed a deal with the LG Twins in South Korea.
Roberto Gomez: Fun fact: Roberto Gomez made the Opening Day roster in 2018. He's now a non-roster invitee with the Pirates.
D.J. Snelten: The Big Snelt, as Bruce Bochy loved to call him, was picked up by the Orioles last summer and is still with them.
Jose Valdez: It's unclear where he is now. It's also unclear what happened during his time with the Giants.
Jarrett Parker: Unlike everyone else on this list, he did not play a game for the Giants in 2018. But, little known fact, he did still rehab with them in some form. It was a strange situation but Parker's shoulder acted up again after he was released and the Giants apparently helped with the rehab. Anyway, he's with the Angels now.
