{"numbering":"no_numbering","slides":[{"title":"Intro","video":"qYjMFclzA1_X","thumbnail":{"uri":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/short_form_video/hero/092720_GIANTS_FANS_THANK_YOU.jpg","alt":"Giants, Mike Krukow thank fans for support during 2020 MLB season","title":"Giants, Mike Krukow thank fans for support during 2020 MLB season"},"credit":"Getty Images","published":1601441370,"caption":"

Farhan Zaidi is entering his third offseason in charge of the Giants, and it'll be unlike anything he has experienced in his successful career in baseball operations.

There are serious questions about how much teams will be willing, or able, to spend this winter as they come off a year with no fans and prepare for the possibility that 2021 isn't any easier. A potential work stoppage looms, and when the sport does return in February, it'll have been 17 months since minor leaguers played games.

It will be a complicated winter even before you account for the fact that Zaidi and Scott Harris are trying to put together a roster that can win a division that right now is possibly the home to the two best teams in the National League.

Team officials will speak with the media Wednesday, likely showing appreciation for what the 2020 team accomplished and hope for the future. The hard work starts after that, with some clear holes the Giants need to address before next season:

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In a perfect world, where Trevor Story doesn't glove a liner and Coonrod closes out the Padres the next day, Kapler goes into Sunday aiming for Kevin Gausman and Drew Smyly to pitch the first two games at Dodger Stadium, not the last one of the regular season. Both were really good additions, but both are free agents. While both said they would like to come back, there are enough smart front offices out there that saw Gausman's splitter and Smyly's dramatic velo increase that you figure the Giants will have a lot of competition.

Johnny Cueto had the worst ERA among qualified NL starters. Jeff Samardzija's run here is over. Tyler Anderson was fine, but is a back-end guy. The Giants do have Logan Webb and Tyler Beede, but Webb had a really inconsistent rookie season and Beede's Tommy John timeline probably won't have him fully ready by Opening Day. Seth Corry, Sean Hjelle and others are on the way, but for 2021, the Giants -- who ran out of dependable starters over 60 games and now face 162 again -- have basically a whole rotation to fill.

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For all the good work Giants relievers did this year -- they had the lowest bullpen ERA in the Majors for a month-long stretch late in the season -- fans will remember the group for two things: Trevor Gott's three-game run against the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels, and Coonrod's blown save in Game 58. The Giants just never figured it out from the right side.

Tyler Rogers led the NL with 29 appearances and had a 1.88 ERA after that 10th-inning disaster against the San Diego Padres on July 30. He's part of the solution, but Gott was demoted and then got hurt, and while Coonrod has the 100 mph fastball and secondary pitches to be absolutely dominant, it's unclear if his command will ever allow it.

Of the six pitchers who made the most appearances for Kapler, five were lefties. They'll get Reyes Moronta back and Camilo Doval apparently was throwing 97 mph cutters in Sacramento. Shaun Anderson remains intriguing. Maybe Tyler Cyr gets a shot. Bring them all to camp, along with some newcomers, because this is a glaring hole.

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This is essentially the Pablo Sandoval spot. Sandoval didn't hit and didn't play much third, with Evan Longoria going just about every day and stabilizing the infield defense. Longoria hit .308/.339/.519 against lefties but .234/.281/.390 against righties. The splits were the same a year earlier.

Longoria, who turns 35 next month, also appeared to wear down a bit by the end. Starting with that series in Oakland, he went 5-for-40 to finish the year. The Giants definitely need a more reliable backup, as Wilmer Flores and Donovan Solano were miscast at third defensively.

In general, they would probably love a left-handed-bat who can play second and third. Solano barreled everyone up, but Flores faced too many righties.

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The Giants have been searching for quality outfielders since the Bonds years, and while they struck gold with Mike Yastrzemski and got another good one with Alex Dickerson, they still need more help. Austin Slater had a huge year and should be the leadoff hitter against lefties next season, but that elbow injury has now slowed him twice and has to be a concern. Dickerson always has dealt with injuries in 162-game seasons, too. The Giants were really short on outfield depth at the end of the year.

Mauricio Dubon got better and better in center field, but his best role is still probably super-utility man. Darin Ruf was a good platoon addition, and Luis Basabe had solid plate appearances. They haven't given up on Jaylin Davis. Heliot Ramos should arrive at some point next year and Hunter Bishop and Alexander Canario are on the way, but heading into 2021, the roster needs at least one more good option given the durability concerns for the current group.

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This is a hole that likely won't be filled through free agency, and it shouldn't be. The Giants have seen firsthand what happens when you splash cash at a closer in the offseason, and throwing $30 million at Trevor Rosenthal is a decision some team probably will regret. That's just how free-agent closers work.

But, there was little doubt that the Giants were hurt at times by not knowing who was going to pitch the ninth. Closer-by-committee is great in theory, but relievers are creatures of habit, and it settles a whole group down to have one guy at the back end who is always waiting to make those final three outs look easy, ideally with swing-and-miss stuff. The new staff subtly seemed to agree with that; Gott was never named the closer, but was used that way until that infamous four-day stretch.

Gott led the Giants with four saves and Rogers and Coonrod had three. Tony Watson had a pair and is a free agent. Sam Selman had one. None of the holdovers feels like a fit in the ninth right now. Whether it's someone in-house -- Moronta maybe -- or a veteran who won't cost an insane amount, the Giants need to figure out who gets that final out.

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Giants' five roster holes that must be filled during crucial offseason