Why Javier Lopez was drawn to role with Buster Posey’s Giants front office

SAN FRANCISCO — Team executives tend to move around in packs at the MLB meetings held every offseason, and even though it’s been more than a year as an executive, Buster Posey still draws plenty of attention when he walks through hallways with the rest of his front office.But when Posey was walking through a Las Vegas hotel at the GM Meetings last November, he actually wasn’t the Giants executive with the most rings. That honor belongs to Javier Lopez, who won a title with the Boston Red Sox early in his career and then was instrumental in helping the Giants win three in five years. The left-hander is tied with Mookie Betts and former teammate Pablo Sandoval (a member of the 2021 Atlanta Braves) for the most titles won by a player who debuted this century. The goal now is to break that tie as an executive. Earlier this offseason, Lopez and Curt Casali joined the baseball operations group as advisors. It was a move that was a long time coming for Lopez, who retired in 2016 and successfully jumped to the broadcast booth. He had been talking to Posey, a close friend, for months about coming on board. “When he puts his name on it you...