The San Francisco Giants were one of, it not the biggest surprise in Major League Baseball last year. Their lineup and starting rotation seemed to lack the “oomph” that the Los Angeles Dodgers had. Heading into the 2021 regular season, the Giants seemed destined for, at most, an NL Wild Card spot.
Riding on the backs of the resurgent Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford, the Giants hit the most home runs in the National League while finishing second in base hits and RBI, while also leading the NL in SLG%, OPS, and OPS+. That’s without mentioning their pitching. Led by a breakout performance from Kevin Gausman and rookie Logan Webb, the Giants finished the season with the second-lowest ERA, FIP, WHIP, and ERA+ in the league.
The standout performances from key names lifted the Giants into first place and they were the eventual winners of the National League West division by just a single game over the Dodgers. Unfortunately for the Giants, they could not carry their regular-season successes to another World Series championship, falling in the NLDS in five games against — you guessed it — the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Heading into 2022, the San Francisco Giants have struck hard and fast when it comes to addressing potential needs in the upcoming campaign. Let’s take a look at some of the items that should be on their to-do list once the MLB lockout is lifted.