A difficult World Series title defense that included the Dodgers chasing the rival Giants ended up costing the Dodgers vs. the Atlanta Braves.

A source close to Sabean confirmed to the Daily News that he very much would like another challenge in his life. He’s going stir crazy in San Francisco with essentially nothing to do (in the role of a special assistant) with the Giants. But the real attraction for Sabean would be the fact that it’s New York and it’s the Mets, the source said.

Max Scherzer, who was originally set to start Game 6 of the NLCS for the Dodgers against the Atlanta Braves, will not start on Saturday.

CPL, 22, 2020 1st round) This week’s stats: 4-12, 1 home run, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 1.095 OPS Bailey picked up where he left off after ending his debut rookie season in a flurry, admittedly at Low-A San Jose after early-season struggles and injuries. The power is really starting to show for the switch-hitting catcher. Will Wilson (No.

When Farhan Zaidi was with the Dodgers, they put an emphasis on keeping their stars around as they hit free agency. Zaidi hopes to do the same this offseason with the Giants.

Just because Theo Epstein and Billy Beane said "no thanks" doesn’t mean the Mets should move on from hiring an experienced president of baseball ops. Maybe Brian Sabean?

Former Giants general manager executive vice president Brian Sabean, who was at the helm for the Giants’ three World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014, stopped running the team’s baseball operations in 2018, though he remained as a scout. But his successful resume prompted The Post to speculate if he could be the right person to take over the Mets.

I’m a touch late to this news after it slipped through the radar, but San Francisco Giants pitchers José Quintana and Jake Jewell have elected free agency, after finishing the season with the AAA Sacramento River Cats. Both pitchers could return to the organization, but they’ll have a chance to test the waters, and search for the best situation (in Quintana’s case that might be a Major League offer). Quintana joined the Giants late in the season, and was quickly added to the active roster.

The San Francisco Giants ended the season with 45 players on their 40-man roster, the result of a handful of players finding themselves on the Injured List when things wrapped up. Many — most, even — of those players will be on the 40-man roster for the next few months and into the 2022 season, may we be so lucky as to have a 2022 season. But many will not.

Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford turned back the clock with their play in 2021.

The Giants had two of their top prospects, Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos, in Triple-A most of the season. But they're not the only young players ready for an extended look.

Good morning, baseball fans. As we talked about a little bit on Tuesday, the San Francisco Giants front office has their work cut out for them this off-season. And the number one item on the agenda, naturally, is the rotation.

The battered Dodgers tried to say the right things Wednesday, but nobody is believing it as they trail 3-1 in NLCS to the Braves.

One week ago, I said that the San Diego Padres were the biggest disappointment of 2021. I also mentioned how this is not the first time we have seen this movie. Sure, nothing comes within miles of the Padres’ disappointing season, except for their World Series losses in 1984 and 1998, but this one is a little different.

The San Francisco Giants have eight arbitration-eligible players heading into the offseason, a relatively modest number after having 13 such players a year ago. And with the team balancing their attempt to replicate 2021’s success, and their desire to find ways to improve, it will be interesting to see what route they go in. Here are the eight arbitration-eligible Giants, with their salary estimates courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors, a historically very accurate site with these things.

As the Giants enter the offseason, Duane Kuiper sees a clear first order of business: They need to figure out what their 2022 rotation is going to look like.

There's not a lot of time to sit back, though, especially for the people who put a 107-win team together. Farhan Zaidi and Scott Harris have a roster full of veteran free agents, some big-name arbitration-eligible players, and huge early decisions to make on guys like Buster Posey, Johnny Cueto and Brandon Belt. Posey will be back in some form, Cueto is expected to have his 2022 team option bought out and Belt is a prime candidate for a qualifying offer, but those moves are just the beginning.

The LCS and possibly even the World Series will seem almost anti-climactic this year after that League Division Series between the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. That was a series that featured the two best teams in baseball in 2021. It was an epic series that went the full five games.

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: PITCHING IN In a postseason already marked by curious pitching strategy, Julio Urías returns to his regular role in the rotation when the Los Angeles Dodgers play Atlanta in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series. Braves manager Brian Snitker says he’ll go with a bullpen game. After losing 6-5 on Tuesday night, he said he hadn’t decided who would start.

The San Francisco Giants plan to exercise Buster Posey's $22 million club option for the 2022 season as long as the veteran catcher wants to keep playing after a stellar year. Posey, whose contract includes a $3 million buyout, helped lead the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins and their first NL West title since 2012 by playing regularly down the stretch this year as he demonstrated his health and durability during his 12th major league season.