SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- On the first day of full-squad workouts, the Giants added one more player to the backup-infielder mix.
Veteran Aaron Hill joined camp on a minor league deal Friday. Hill will make $2 million if he's on the big league roster, and his contract includes an opt-out if he does not make it.
Hill, 34, is a 12-year veteran who had a mixed season in 2016. He hit .280 with eight homers and a .780 OPS for the Brewers but batted just .218 after a trade to the Red Sox. Hill has played second, short and third, and he'll add another versatile glove to a crowded group of non-roster invitees looking to win a bench job. He lives in the Phoenix area and said that was part of the attraction of spending his spring with the Giants. Joining a winning group helped, he said.
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Hill knows he joined a huge crowd of familiar names playing for possibly just one or two bench jobs. Jimmy Rollins, Gordon Beckham and Jae-gyun Hwang are also in camp as non-roster invitees, and Kelby Tomlinson and Conor Gillaspie are incumbents.
"Everybody is here," Hill said, laughing. "Any team is going to be (crowded) at this point and it's going to be a competition. For me personally, it's just about what I can learn from these guys. A lot of these (free agents) in the past have waited for a guaranteed roster spot. That's definitely been harder the last two years for a lot of guys."
General manager Bobby Evans has taken advantage of the shift in the market to build depth. Eduardo Nuñez is the starter at third base but the Giants will open it up for the backup jobs. Evans said Gillaspie is a frontrunner because he's a left-handed bat, an incumbent, and he's coming off a huge postseason, but the staff is open-minded.
"Ultimately we'll have to determine who the best fit is for the spots we have, but at some level each of the guys we have here has the potential to help us off the bench in different ways," Evans said. "They've got different ages and different strengths. (Hill) struggled in Boston but he did have a good first half. He's very experienced at second and third, and his experience is attractive."