Buster Posey is following Farhan Zaidi's blueprint with SF Giants bullpen remodel

There is no real right way to go about constructing a big league bullpen, but the SF Giants have a model of success that president of baseball operations Buster Posey seems to be trying to replicate and it was a model used by his predecessor.

Back in 2021, the Giants had a miraculous season thanks in large part to their solid bullpen. Farhan Zaidi pieced the relief corps together with minor signings and it worked out brilliantly as the team won 107 games.

SF Giants trying to replicate 2021 bullpen strategy

That amazing season featured unheralded relief arms like Dominic Leone, who recently talked about that magical run, Jake McGee, Jarlín Garcia, José Álvarez, and Zack Littell. It took some time for the Giants to piece things together in the first half, but by the second half they had a very solid bullpen that could be relied upon especially with Tyler Rogers doing his thing and rookie Camilo Doval finding his way.

Zaidi proved that you can put together a solid bullpen on the cheap, something Posey certainly must have taken note of with 2021 having been his final season as a player. He saw firsthand how the big contract for Mark Melancon did not pan out while the low-cost model paid great dividends.

The Giants are clearly trying to replicate that 2021 strategy with their moves so far this offseason. They are signing guys with solid track records coming off injuries like Sam Hentges, Jason Foley, and old friend Gregory Santos.

They will not hit on all of these guys, but by going with a low-cost buy in bulk strategy, they are betting that at least one or two of these arms will provide solid performances for them and end up being a wise addition.

Of course, there is risk with this strategy. It may take time to sort through which pitchers are legit and which are not during spring training and early in the season. That may lead to some musical chairs in the bullpen and potentially a lot of turnover which could make things tough for new manager Tony Vitello who has never managed a big league bullpen before.

The Giants are clearly more comfortable with that than taking a $50 million or more risk on one of the premier closers on the market, all of whom are practically gone at this point.

This strategy has worked before, and Posey is hoping he can replicate the success Zaidi had with this low-cost approach.