For years, this was the season frustrated Giants fans had counted down to. The final year of the albatross of a contract Barry Zito signed prior to the 2007 season. All these years later, it’s still tough to mention Zito in any sentence without also bringing up the hefty $126 million deal he inked. And as Zito piled up disappointing year after disappointing year, it seemed inevitable his Giants tenure would be over the second the clock struck midnight after this season. Read More

Buster Posey can add one more award to his trophy case as the Giants’ catcher ran away with National League MVP honors Thursday, securing 27 of 32 first-place votes. Posey surged into the race for the award with a scorching run in the second half of the season by hitting .371 from July 1 through the end of the season. That propelled the third-year pro to win the NL batting title with a .336 average to go with a .408 on-base percentage, 24 home runs and 103 RBIs. Read More

Jeremy Affeldt made it known he needed some job security — and the reliable reliever got it. The left-hander and the World Series champion San Francisco Giants completed an $18 million, three-year contract Wednesday. Bobby Evans, the team’s vice president of baseball operations, said the deal had been finalized to keep Affeldt in the Bay Area. “We are so happy to be back with our San Francisco family,” Affeldt said, in San Francisco for his physical and meetings. Read More

There has been talk that Bruce Bochy is a potential Hall of Fame manager, but any manager is only as good as his players. Now, Giants GM Brian Sabean has to make certain Bochy has the players. This World Series championship team was much different than the first one just two years ago, which got contributions from players who were either not that good or, in the case of Edgar Renteria, having one last shot in a solid career. That was not a team for the ages. Read More