SAN FRANCISCO — When former general managers Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans ran the Giants, it was no secret the team admired outfielder Billy Hamilton for his speed on the bases and range in the outfield.

Neither Sabean or Evans could pull off a deal to add Hamilton, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi finally got the job done on Friday.

The Giants announced Hamilton has agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training that will allow him to compete for a job in a suddenly crowded outfield.

Hamilton, 29, has a career .297 on-base percentage and a .623 OPS, but he’s never been viewed as a premier offensive player. The 29-year-old is best known for his speed as he has racked up 299 career stolen bases in parts of seven major league seasons.

Catcher Buster Posey is thrilled he doesn’t have to try and throw Hamilton out anymore.

“Ugh. Ugh. Please don’t get on base. That’s the best way to describe him,” Posey said. “He can definitely be a headache. You can see what he does to infield defenses when he comes up. The shortstop is playing almost on the grass it feels like, the third baseman is almost at the pitcher’s mound. He’s not fun for a catcher.”

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It will be difficult for Hamilton to secure a job in the Giants outfield this spring as he’ll face competition from Steven Duggar, Mauricio Dubón and Mike Yastrzemski in center field, but the team likely values his defense and believes he could be a good fit in the vast outfields of the National League West ballparks.

His teammates also value the fact that at least during spring training, they won’t have to defend against his game-changing speed.

“You try not to let it change the way you call pitches, but sometimes you get competitive,” Posey said. “You just want that pitch to be able to throw him out. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with trying to throw him out right now.”