Call to the pen
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San Francisco Giants: Five off-season Priorities

By Jason Evans

Oct 11, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) looks on during game four of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) looks on during game four of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning of game six of the 2016 NLCS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman (54) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning of game six of the 2016 NLCS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Get A Closer

This is priority one, two, three, four and five. The Giants need to get a closer. The free agent market will have Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon. One of the three needs to be wearing a Giants uniform opening day of 2017. If they can’t land any of them, then it would be prudent to make a big trade for Wade Davis.

More from Call to the Pen

Many of the Giants problems last season were because of the inability to close a game. Just take a look at what happened in Game four of the NLDS against the Cubs. Not having that shut down arm in the bullpen prevented them from forcing a Game five. Not having that guy prevented them from winning the division this year.

Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo and Jeremy Affeldt were huge reasons why the Giants were able to win three World Series. They had a shut down bullpen before it was cool.

Lopez and Romo are older, Affeldt is retired and the Giants haven’t figured out a way yet to replicate their success.

One way to fix this would be to have that guy they can count on at the end of the game. If they had that, it’s entirely possible that the Giants would be playing tonight instead of watching it like you and me.

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