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The Giants hoped to find a lefty-hitting complement to Buster Posey this offseason to replace Stephen Vogt.
If they found him, he will have to emerge out of a pile of catchers they’ve compiled.
They did not land an established option, but they added one more possibility on Tuesday, announcing veteran Rob Brantly will be in major league camp on a minor league deal, fighting to be the Opening Day backup. The competition will be between the lefty-hitting Brantly, switch-hitting Tyler Heineman, righty Chad Tromp and righty Aramis Garcia. All would be considered placeholders as the Giants await the Joey Bart era.
Brantly, 30, fits the profile of a Farhan Zaidi hitter. He brings good plate discipline and contact, walking 32 times and striking out 29 last season in 272 Triple-A plate appearances. The Cal product slashed .314/.404/.462 at that level and got one at-bat with Gabe Kapler’s Phillies in his latest major league stint; he’s appeared in 126 games with the Marlins, White Sox and Phillies, but never sticking. He has a career .294 on-base percentage with seven home runs in 388 at-bats.
The Giants also officially announced righty starter Tyson Ross and lefty reliever Jerry Blevins would be in camp. That brings their non-roster invites up to 21.