San Francisco Giants

Former San Francisco Giants infielder and manager Jim Davenport died on Thursday night at the age of 82. 

The Giants released a statement about Davenport's death on Twitter:  

As the Giants' statement on Davenport's passing noted, he spent most of his life with the franchise after beginning his Major League Baseball career as a player in 1958. 

The look on Bruce Bochy's face made it clear this wasn't the first time he was hearing the phrase "even-year magic." Heck, since leading the San Francisco Giants to the first of three straight even-year World Series titles in 2010, the veteran skipper has probably heard it a million times.

And he now seems prepared to hear it a million more times in 2016.

In real life, Matt Duffy came out of Long Beach, California. But in 2015, he might as well have come out of Nowhere, USA.

The San Francisco Giants' offseason shopping spree is almost certainly over. After adding outfielder Denard Span and a pair of starting pitchers in Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto, the club has plugged its most glaring holes.

Denard Span isn't Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton. So if you were a San Francisco Giants fan hoping for another top-shelf addition in what has been a splashy offseason, perhaps Span's signing—first reported by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman—leaves you feeling underwhelmed. 

The San Francisco Giants plunged into the offseason with two clear and pressing needs: upgrades in the starting rotation and reinforcements in the outfield.

The signings of Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto equal mission accomplished on item one. 

It's an even year, San Francisco Giants fans. And that means—well, here's the thing. You want honesty?

It means nothing.

There is no mystical energy that binds the galaxy together and decrees the Giants must hoist a Commissioner's Trophy in 2016. Yes, they won titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. That's a fascinating numerical anomaly, but it's not a harbinger of things to come.

Knowing that they are a safe bet to win the 2016 World Series given their recent history in even years, the San Francisco Giants took steps to ensure a fourth title in seven seasons by signing Johnny Cueto. 

At best, Johnny Cueto for six years and $130 million gives the San Francisco Giants the bargain of the winter.

Following an eventful 2015 in which he won a World Series with the Kansas City Royals after being traded by the Cincinnati Reds in July, Johnny Cueto is on the move once again, as he agreed to terms on a deal with the San Francisco Giants.