‘I loved every second’ — Pillar says goodbye to Giants, fans

Kevin Pillar says goodbye to Giants, fans
Photo credit Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports

After the Giants parted ways with Kevin Pillar, declining to tender a contract to the Willie Mac Award winner, the veteran center fielder has penned a heartfelt message to the organization and the orange and black fans.

Thank you @sfgiants and the fans for welcoming my family and I. I loved every second of playing for such a historic and successful franchise. It’s not how we drew it up but it’s every players dream and what they work so hard for is a chance at free agency. My family and I embrace the unknown and look forward to see what our future holds! ✌--
A post shared by Kevin Pillar (@kpillar11) on Dec 3, 2019 at 9:51am PST

President of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi and Co. opted to cut ties with the popular veteran rather than dish out a hefty raise in arbitration. Per MLB Trade Rumors, Pillar would have netted a $9.7 million salary, up from the $5.8 million he mad a season ago.

Pillar was popular in the clubhouse (as evidenced by his Willie Mays win) and with the fan base and led the team with 21 home runs. The 30-year-old also had some holes in his game, most noticeably posting a .287 OBP and .719 OPS.