Even without Posey, Giants' infield defined by continuity

The ongoing MLB lockout has kept the Giants from experiencing a weird scene at Scottsdale Stadium.

Every spring since 2009 -- when the first-rounder was a non-roster invitee -- Buster Posey has taken part in big league camp in Scottsdale. There were years when he was coming off major surgeries, one following a breakout MVP campaign, and even one that came after a shocking opt-out. But no matter the situation, Posey showed up at camp on time and led the way for the rest of the clubhouse. 

This spring training, whenever it starts, won't include Posey, but the infield drills at Scottsdale Stadium will still mostly look the same. The Giants have overhauled their rotation, their bullpen and their outfield since a new regime took over, but the infield seems to never change all that much. Today we look at what's ahead for a group of infielders and catchers that won't include Posey, but still will be led by a bunch of veterans:

Already On The Roster

Brandon Belt signed the one-year qualifying offer to become the longest-tenured Giant. Right behind him is Brandon Crawford, who avoided the offseason altogether by signing an extension in August. The Brandons are about to start Year 12 together. 

Evan Longoria has a sneaky-long Giants career going at this point, as he's looking at his fifth season with the organization. Wilmer Flores is back for a third year and Tommy La Stella enters the second year of his three-year contract, still the richest the Giants have given to a free agent position player. 

The 40-man group of infielders is rounded out by Mauricio Dubon, Thairo Estrada and Jason Vosler. No matter how the spring turns out, there should be a move here. Both Dubon and Estrada are out of options and they are vying for the same role. 

The Giants have just two catchers on their 40-man roster and both should be there on Opening Day. Joey Bart is projected to be the starter with Curt Casali once again being a valuable backup. 

Who Will Be Missing

Posey, obviously.

Kris Bryant was only a Giant for a couple of months, but that trade stands as the biggest move of the Farhan Zaidi Era thus far, and it's unlikely that it leads to a second season in orange and black. The Giants have hinted that Bryant will end up elsewhere, although that certainly could change when the market reopens. 

The other notable departure has gone under the radar because of the Posey and Bryant storylines, but Donovan Solano is a free agent as well, and he also seems unlikely to return. Remember, the Giants and Solano actually went to an arbitration hearing last year, and the organization surely feels that money can better be spent elsewhere this time around. With La Stella, Flores, Estrada and Dubon at second base, Donnie Barrels will need to find a new home. 

What You Might Have Forgotten 

The Giants need a right-handed bat and the logical move is to go out and get a Seiya Suzuki or Bryant, but there's also a way that a lot of the missing production can come from a veteran already in the building. 

Before a brutal collision with Crawford, Longoria was about as dangerous as anyone Gabe Kapler had. He had a .280/.376/.516 slash line going through 50 games with nine homers and consistently hard contact. Longoria missed 58 games with a left shoulder sprain and then another 11 when he got hit by a pitch. The injuries partly ruined a season that looked like it would fit right in with the comebacks seen from Crawford, Belt and Posey. 

Longoria ended up with an average exit velocity of 94.1 mph, which ranked fourth among players with at least 100 batted balls, behind only Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He ranked ninth in hard-hit percentage, between teammate Darin Ruf and Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez. 

Longoria is 36 now, but age hasn't seemed to matter for Giants hitters the last couple of seasons. If he can stay healthy and find the swing he had in the first half, the Giants are going to be a lot more dangerous against left-handed starters. 

Prospect Watch

Marco Luciano is the best prospect the Giants have had in a decade, but he's not the only young shortstop to watch this season. The Giants gave Aeverson Arteaga $1 million in 2019 and he had a promising first season, posting a .870 OPS and hitting nine homers in 56 rookie ball games last summer. 

Arteaga was ranked as the Giants' ninth-best prospect by Baseball-America and 12th best by MLB Pipeline. He's viewed as a good defender who will stay at short, which is particularly important since most evaluators believe Luciano will ultimately outgrow the position. Arteaga, a native of Venezuela, should play for Low-A San Jose this season as a 19-year-old.

What They Need

The Giants should roll out their familiar veteran infield on Opening Day, with Bart now behind the plate, but they do need some depth for the group. La Stella had Achilles surgery early in the offseason and there haven't been any updates there in months. Adding a lefty to the mix would be helpful if he's not quite ready (although Vosler could serve that role). 

RELATED: How Giants can bolster lineup with universal DH

Team officials have high hopes for Estrada and ultimately he could be the one who soaks up all those Solano at-bats at second base and backs up Crawford, but because neither Estrada nor Dubon can be optioned back and forth, the Giants could use some more upper-minors depth for the middle infield. Ruf and Wade provide coverage for Belt, but there isn't really a great plan if Longoria goes down for an extended period again. 

While there has been some industry speculation that another catcher could be brought in, the only real need back there is finding Triple-A catchers who can fill in if/when there's an injury. A Chadwick Tromp type, for example. 

Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are still out there, but when it comes to the rest of the offseason, the focus with this position group will likely be on non-roster invitees and younger players. Solano and Estrada were seemingly pulled out of thin air. The roster will be in much better shape if the Giants can pull that off again. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast