San Francisco Giants: Fare Thee Well Old Friends – Some Giants Move On

The game of baseball is not without its more somber moments. Teams and players move on, and it’s just part of the evolutionary way baseball works.

The sad part is when the player and the team really doesn’t want to break up, it just ends up being time to do so. Financials generally get in the way of most, if not all, of the major professional sports in the world. And an aging veteran, who still would like one more decent contract before riding off into the sunset, should be allowed to seek it.

It also could be a younger player who just won’t get a shot here. Without the desire to play on the field, a ballplayer becomes a de-facto coach. Doing drills and staying in shape, and waiting for the day that the person ahead of them gets hurt. So a players desire to play is a valid reason to leave the current team.

And then there is retirement. While it is rare that a long-term player retires from baseball with the team he spent some quality years with, it does happen.

Here are the San Francisco Giants who have left the franchise this winter, or are highly likely to be leaving very shortly. And in one case, retired a few years after playing his last game.

Next: Vogelsong