It seemed inevitable as the offseason began, but it became official on Wednesday. Left-hander Javier Lopez announced his retirement, becoming the fourth and final member of the Giants’ bullpen “Core Four” to leave the team. He joins fellow lefty Jeremy Affeldt in retirement, while Santiago Casilla is now with the Oakland Athletics and Sergio Romo is with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lopez was the last of the Core Four to join the team, coming over in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the July 31st trade deadline in 2010.