The real opportunity for improvement exists in center field, where George Springer would make a lot of sense. The Giants moved in their fences in center last season, which would make it easier for Springer to take over, like when Houston removed Tal’s Hill. His flexibility in the outfield could also prove helpful depending on how Heliot Ramos, Hunter Bishop, and Luis Matos develop (and maybe Luciano as well if he moves off shortstop). If Ramos comes up ready, then Springer can stay in center; if Bishop or Matos make it to the majors as center fielders, he could move to a corner. Springer would add three-to-four more wins right away for the Giants while taking a slightly below-average group of position players and putting them above the middle. Conversely, they could try to upgrade three different positions by a win or so, but it would likely be a similar upgrade at a higher cost, either in salaries or prospects.

The position players may be San Francisco’s strength currently, but with Kevin Gausman‘s qualifying offer decision still pending and Drew Smyly a free agent, the Giants don’t have a lot when it comes to starting pitching. Johnny Cueto, Tyler Anderson, and Logan Webb project for a total of 3.9 WAR, and it gets a lot worse after those three; Trevor Bauer alone projects for 3.8.

That doesn’t mean the Giants don’t have options, though. When discussing a potential offseason for the Mets last week, I said the following, and it holds true for San Francisco as well.

After Bauer, Masahiro Tanaka, Marcus Stroman, James Paxton, Kevin Gausman, Mike Minor, Chris Archer, Jose Quintana, Drew Smyly, Taijuan Walker, Jake Odorizzi, Corey Kluber, Garrett Richards, [Rick] Porcello, Matt Shoemaker, J.A. Happ, Robbie Ray, and Adam Wainwright are all among our Top 50 Free Agents, with Charlie Morton’s declined option also putting himself in that group. There’s a mix of stability and upside and the Mets should grab three (or more) of these options. On the trade side, a salary dump like Carlos Martinez of the Cardinals would also present an interesting option.

The Giants regularly put together $200 million payrolls before taking a step back and letting contracts drop off the books. They were still going to be at roughly $140 million last season, and they’ve already shed another $20 million before adding payroll for next year. After 2021, only the final year of Longoria’s contract remains on the books in terms of guaranteed salaries. In other words: San Francisco could add Springer, Bauer, a second baseman, and two more starting pitchers and still come in at around $200 million for next season. That might not make the Giants the equal of the Dodgers or the Padres, but it would put them in contention and allow them to spend big after next season if they want to vault themselves to a higher level of competition.

The Giants could have another middling season. But if they want to compete in 2022, it’s probably necessary to take a decent step forward in ’21 so they don’t end up trying to add 25 wins in a single offseason — a rather large task, even with unlimited funds.