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47 BAY AREA NEWS GROUP PLAYBALL THEGIANTS Playerstowatch+projectedopeningdayroster BY ANDREW BAGGARLY JohnnyCueto JohnnyCuetorepresentedthe Giants' most important invest- ment of the winter, and the first two seasons of his six-year, $130million contract will be es- pecially important. That's because Cueto has the right to opt out of the deal after 2017. So the Giants are abso rbin g al l t he ris k if he becomes injured or ineffective in these early stages. If the Giants get the smart, cock sure impr ovi sa tion ar tis t wh o starred for the Cincinnati Reds, they will have a legitimate co-ace to pair with Madison Bumgarner, a f ormi dabl e p resen ce i n a p la yoff rotation — and an awfully fun show to entertain their fans. The Giants spent $220million on Cueto and Jeff Samardzija because they are durable innings eaters who promise to stabilize a rotation that struggled to pitch deep into games and ended up taxing a talented bullpen. Their presence will lighten the load on Matt Cain as he seeks to re-es - tablish himself as a healthy and effective starting pitcher. It's a great plan on paper. But Cue to ha s to do his par t. Buster Posey Buster Posey remains the best and most important player on the field. He quietly found a way to become an even better hitter last season, drawing more walks than strikeouts for the first time. The Giants don't need him to elevate his game. But they need him to be Buster Posey — and there's no reason to doubt he will be. Hunter Pence Hunter Pence had baseball's longest streak for consecutive games played (383) before miss- ing 110 games last year due to injuries. The Giants need Pence to be an iron man again, since he's one of three 30-something outfielders — and the other two, Denard Span and Angel Pagan, are coming off surgeries. The Giants will have trouble striking a right-handed balance in their lineup if Pence is absent for any reason, and he began the spring with a sore Achilles tendon. Jake Peavy Jake Peavy isn't accustomed to beginning the season as a back-end starter. He continues to have high expectations and wants to prove to manager Bruce Bochy that he can pitch deep into games. A deeper rotation means that the Giants can absorb shorter outings from Peavy. But they're still relying on those outings to be effective, and for his chronic hip and back issues to remain manageable. Josh Osich Josh Osich will be relied upon to take over Jeremy Affeldt's vital swingman role as a left-hander who can navigate a full inning. Osich has the power stuff to get lefties and right-handers out, but he does not have a long track record for staying healthy. If Osich can handle the task, it will be so much easier for Bochy to play matchups with Javier Lopez and Sergio Romo. ABAGGARLY@MERCURYNEWS.COM MOST TRADABLE Althoughthe Giantsbeganthe springwithno majorrosterholes, youneverstop listeningwhen thephonerings. Theclubshopped AngelPaganat variouspointslast year,butofficials wereencouraged athisfitnessand mobilitywhenhe reportedtocamp, andtheyplanned forhimtobegin theseasonastheir le fielder.His $10millionsalary wouldn'tbeeasy tomoveanyway. PITCHERS No. Name B/T Ht/Wt IP W-L SV ERA WHIP WAR Comment 40 Madison Bumgarner R-L 6-5/250 218.1 18-9 0 2.93 1.01 4.8 Unquestioned rotation leader 3rd straight year; still only 26 18 Matt Cain R-R 6-3/230 60.2 2-4 0 5.79 1.50 -0.7 Seeks bounce-back year, but cyst slowed him in spring 46 Santiago Casilla R-R 6-0/210 58.0 4-2 38 2.79 1.28 1.1 At 35, one of baseball's oldest closers 47 Johnny Cueto R-R 5-11/220 212.0 11-13 0 3.44 1.13 3.9 Huge investment for one of game's top starters 62 Cory Gearrin R-R 6-3/200 3.2 0-0 0 4.91 0.55 0.0 Out of options, Giants have to keep him or lose him 53 Chris Heston R-R 6-3/195 177.2 12-11 0 3.95 1.31 1.5 New role as long relief man; serves as rotation insurance 70 George Kontos R-R 6-3/215 73.1 4-4 0 2.33 0.94 1.6 Turned into high-quality, late-inning setup man in 2015 49 Javier Lopez L-L 6-4/220 39.1 1-0 0 1.60 0.89 1.4 Now 38, still relied on to get the big le y bats out late in games 61 Josh Osich L-L 6-2/230 28.2 2-0 0 2.20 1.12 0.2 Hard thrower a surprise bullpen contributor from le side last season 22 Jake Peavy R-R 6-1/195 110.2 8-6 0 3.58 1.12 1.5 Veteran battler who just needs to stay healthy 54 Sergio Romo R-R 5-11/185 57.1 0-5 2 2.98 1.06 0.8 Had some blips but still the valued 8th-inning man 29 Jeff Samardzija R-R 6-5/225 214.0 11-13 0 4.96 1.29 0.2 Innings-eater seeks to regain top form with stable home 60 Hunter Strickland R-R 6-4/220 51.1 3-3 0 2.45 0.86 1.3 Could be future closer if Casilla falters; electric stuff CATCHERS No. Name B/T Ht/Wt HR RBI SB AVG OBP/SLG WAR BABIP Comment 28 Buster Posey R-R 6-1/215 19 95 2 .318 .379/.470 6.1 .320 Just shy of 5,000 innings for his career as future HOF catcher 34 Andrew Susac R-R 6-1/215 3 14 0 .218 .297/.368 0.1 .299 Slowed by injuries in second season; healthy again INFIELDERS No. Name B/T Ht/Wt HR RBI SB AVG OBP/SLG WAR BABIP Comment 9 Brandon Belt L-L 6-5/220 18 68 9 .280 .356/.478 3.9 .363 Solid numbers but looking for that really big year 35 Brandon Crawford L-R 6-2/215 21 84 6 .256 .321/.462 5.6 .294 Became an elite player in 2015; can he duplicate it? 5 Matt Duffy R-R 6-2/170 12 77 12 .295 .334/.428 4.9 .336 Nobody missed Sandoval when he took over at third 12 Joe Panik L-R 6-1/190 8 37 3 .312 .378/.455 3.3 .330 If the back holds up, could be one of baseball's best at 2B 37 Kelby Tomlinson R-R 6-3/180 2 20 5 .303 .358/.404 1.0 .382 Fast, versatile, heady player should supplant Adrianza OUTFIELDERS No. Name B/T Ht/Wt HR RBI SB AVG OBP/SLG WAR BABIP Comment 7 Gregor Blanco L-L 5-11/175 5 26 13 .291 .368/.413 1.1 .338 Terrific in 2015; a savior for injured outfield; contract year 16 Angel Pagan S-R 6-2/200 3 37 12 .262 .303/.332 -1.9 .310 Resigned to LF; may be pressured by Mac Williamson 6 Jarrett Parker L-L 6-4/210 6 14 1 .347 .407/.755 0.5 .500 Could spell aging outfielders; good LH pop off bench 8 Hunter Pence R-R 6-4/220 9 40 4 .275 .327/.478 1.0 .320 Once ultra-durable, injuries worrisome; will soon be 33 2 Denard Span L-L 6-0/210 5 22 11 .301 .365/.431 0.8 .318 If he stays healthy, will solve CF, leadoff issues