The San Francisco Giants' even-year magic ran out earlier this week as the National League wild-card winners succumbed to the Chicago Cubs in what turned out to be a four-game division series. It was San Francisco's first postseason series loss since 2003.
Four days after the ouster, Giants president & CEO Larry Baer wrote an open letter to fans in which he expressed a variety of thoughts about the 2016 season as well as the team's outlook for 2017.
"Though we exited the playoffs earlier than we hoped, I'm proud that once again our team, led by future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy, never stopped fighting. If anything illustrates what Bochy calls 'champion blood in their DNA,' it is their success in do-or-die games. Their streak of 10 straight victories in elimination games is the longest in Major League history."
After entering the All-Star break with the best record in baseball, the Giants faltered considerably in the second half and barely sneaked into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season as the second wild card.
San Francisco defeated the New York Mets in the NL wild-card game on the strength of Conor Gillaspie's dramatic three-run home run in the ninth inning. Baer cited the game-winning hit "as yet another example of the Giants summoning surprise performances from players up and down the lineup."
But in the division series against the Cubs, the Giants' Achilles heel -- their bullpen -- let them down, most notably in Game 4. Baer notes this and writes that improving such will be a priority this winter.
"The primary and obvious focus in the off-season is to fortify the bullpen. As we were reminded this week, no team can win without a strong, reliable bullpen. Under the outstanding leadership of Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans, we will actively pursue options, whether through free agency or trades, to add to our young arms.
"In short, we will pursue every opportunity and commit the necessary resources to field the best possible team to get back to the playoffs in 2017."
Baer succeeded Bill Neukom as head of the franchise on Jan. 1, 2012.
-- Nick Ostiller