As Chronicle staff writer John Shea is reporting, the Giants are about to seal a deal for former Pirates and Nationals closer Mark Melancon totaling four years at more than $60 million.
Here is why this is a major departure from the Giants' bullpen philosophy over nearly a decade:
After the debacle of closer Armando Benitez's three-year, $21 million contract, which ran from 2005-07, then-GM Brian Sabean decided he would not pay big money for saves again. Instead, he was going to find them from the cheaper talent he already had.
So he gave a young Brian Wilson an very successful audition for the gig.