After the surprisingly good 2009 season for the Giants, one prediction I had for 2010 was that there was no way we should expect the pitching staff to be as good as it was, especially the bullpen.
Turns out it was better, especially the bullpen.
After the World-Series-winningly good 2010 season, one prediction I had for 2011 was that there was no way we should expect the pitching staff to be as good as it was, especially the bullpen.
Turns out it was better, especially the bullpen.
After the disappointingly good 2011 season, one shocking prediction I have for 2012 is that there is no way we should expect the pitching staff to be as good as it was, especially the bullpen.
But the Giants made 2 moves over the weekend to help ensure that the bullpen performance stays at least near where it has been, by signing Javy Lopez to a 2-year deal (worth $8.5 mil), and picking up Jeremy Affeldt's 2012 option (worth $5 mil). It's a hefty chuck of change for middle relievers, but I agree with the moves. As Lopez said himself, "the pitching staff from top to bottom is special". I'm of the opinion that keeping this staff for as long as possible should be the top priority of the offseason, and by locking these guys down, it addresses that issue.
We all know how frustrating an average (or worse) bullpen can be. So while it was widely assumed the G's would keep one but not both of their lefty specialists, the news comes as a pleasant surprise. The Giants probably don't win the World Series in 2010 without these guys getting the tough outs against Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Josh Hamilton, and the like. Affeldt's 2 innings in the clinching Game 6 of the NLCS is probably the most underrated performance of that playoff run.
By bringing these two back, it gives Bruce Bochy a luxuriously good left-handed bullpen, and it should make it easy for him to continue to look like a genius when it comes to handling the pitching staff.
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