Jeremy Affeldt reminds SF Giants something very important about bullpen construction

The SF Giants are trying to get the bullpen sorted out ahead of Opening Day. While it is not an easy task with so many question marks, Giants legend Jeremy Affeldt provided the team with a great reminder recently.

Affeldt was a key member of the "Core Four" relievers during the championship years. He was one of manager Bruce Bochy's most trusted arms in the bullpen and the Giants relied on him so much over the years.

The left-handed pitcher was in Giants camp recently imparting wisdom to the current crop of relievers on the team and he shared some of what he told to both the pitchers and president of baseball operations Buster Posey about the bullpen.

Jeremy Affeldt gives SF Giants advice on how to deal with bullpen

Affeldt appeared on KNBR's broadcast of a recent spring training game and told Jon Miller that he believes the Giants need to have clearly defined roles in the bullpen. He said he knows that there is an open competition and that maybe there will be a closer by committee approach early in the year, but he said that things would probably be smoothest if guys know what role they will have.

It's a good point and Affeldt lived this during the championship years. It is no coincidence that when there was a clear hierarchy in the bullpen in 2010, 2012, and 2014 it led to World Series titles while in 2016 the bullpen imploded in the playoffs after being an issue all season. There were no clearly defined roles in 2016 because the Giants kept blowing games and Bochy would try different combinations, but stability may have been the best approach.

It might take some time for the Giants to get stability in the bullpen this season. The open competition has gotten even more wide open thanks to some injuries to some key relievers so it may take the first few months of the regular season for the Giants to find out which arms are legit and which guys belong where.

That could make things messy and fans love to complain about poor bullpen management which could complicate things for new manager Tony Vitello out of the gates. But at some point the Giants will have to get things figured out and give relievers a sense of what innings they will be needed in.

Affeldt has seen what championship-level bullpens do since he was part of them, so the Giants would be wise to follow his advice.