Ex-Giants lefty Javier Lopez retires

Javier Lopez, the submarining left-hander who became a pivotal reliever for the Giants in three World years, has announced his retirement.

Lopez also became a leader in the clubhouse, mentoring younger pitchers, and organizer of fantasy leagues and pools

For years, Lopez was one of baseball’s most dominant left-handed specialists, but he had a down year in 2016, with a 5.40 ERA and 1.463 WHIP.

The Giants added a player to their spring-training roster Wednesday, signing infielder Gordon Beckham to a minor-league deal.

Beckham spent the last few days of the 2016 season with the Giants, signed as insurance after Eduardo Nuñez got hurt.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.