Pre-FanFest Giants news: Posey could work at other positions, Lincecum tries to take contract haggling in stride

BY ANDREW BAGGARLY
FEBRUARY 5TH, 2010

Checking in from AT&T Park, where the Giants just made virtually the whole roster available for media interviews.

I'll be filing stories on Tim Lincecum and a notebook in a little while, but here are some of the news items to come out of the suite level here:

"Lincecum said he'll try not to have any hard feelings regardless of what the Giants would bring up in an arbitration hearing, assuming his contract impasse reaches that stage. He also said he'd attend the hearing in person, which players are not required to do. It's in St. Petersburg, Fla., sometime between Feb. 10-15, although nobody has been willing to tell me the exact date.

"I have it on good authority from a high-ranking source that in the event the Giants lose the hearing and have to pay Lincecum $13 million, they wouldn't be forced to cut payroll or be forced to trade players with other salary commitments. They'd just take the hit to their bottom line. (The Giants have filed at $8 million, and despite the belief on both sides that a hearing is inevitable, the discussions have a way of changing as the date nears.)

"Buster Posey isnt etched in stone” to begin the season at Triple-A Fresno, Giants Manager Bruce Bochy said. In fact, Bochy dropped a minor bombshell: He and GM Brian Sabean have talked about giving Posey a look at other infield positions, mostly first base, to increase the options available for the rookie and the club. Bochy also said Bengie Molina was overplayed” last year and his starts will be curtailed. So basically, the thought here is that Posey could learn on the job from Molina and start two games a week while bringing more offense than Eli Whiteside. Long term, Bochy said the organization still sees Posey as a catcher. But he'd be available for double-switches, etc., if he can play a few other positions. (I'd caution, though, that the smart money remains on Posey beginning the year at Fresno.)

Posey was very surprised when I relayed Bochy's comments. Nothing had been said to him yet. His first response: I hope someone gets me some new gloves!” His second comment: I just love to play baseball. If you'd have told me as a college freshman that I'd be catching every day, I'd have laughed. So I'll be happy to play anywhere they want me to play.” To my ears, he sounded earnest.

Posey lost 15 pounds last season and admitted he was gassed in the Arizona Fall League, but said it was no excuse because everyone else was tired, too. I just played poorly,” he said. Thanks to his wife's culinary skills and six-a-week workouts, he's put on those 15 pounds and said he's feeling a lot stronger.

"FWIW, to this observer, Posey looked bigger. Pablo Sandoval did not look smaller.

"Bochy said absolutely no question” that right field would be the biggest battle of the spring. John Bowker, Nate Schierholtz and Eugenio Velez are the leading candidates. Bochy confirmed he's still thinking that Aaron Rowand will lead off and Madison Bumgarner will be the fifth starter.

Bowker strained his quad while taking batting practice. That's why his stay in Venezuela only lasted three games. He's feeling better now.

"Schierholtz made some adjustments while tearing up the Puerto Rican winter league. The most noticeable? He's wearing batting gloves for the first time in his career. he figured he was changing so many different things, he might as well throw the gloves into the mix, too. He's gotten used to them and plans to use them. More important than any mechanical adjustments, though, was the strides he made with his pitch recognition skills. He said he worked on a lot of different approaches and can't wait to see how his growth translates against big league pitching.

"Edgar Renteria (elbow surgery) is healthy and so is Mark DeRosa (wrist surgery), Bochy said. DeRosa could be limited in terms of swinging a bat in the first week of camp, but he's expected to be unrestricted by the time games start.

"That's the main stuff, off the top of my head, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a nugget or two. Check the news stories for the full update and Lincecum's actual comments.