The San Francisco Giants will enter Spring Training with a better team than last year.
On paper, that's a step in the right direction, but there's still more the Giants could do to start truly competing in a loaded National League West.
As currently constructed, they seem to be a Wild Card team, which isn't the worst thing. The NL West is the best division in baseball, and making the playoffs via the Wild Card is all a team needs to potentially make a deep run.
Still, the goal should be to win the division for San Francisco, and while the front office would have to make multiple moves to get to that point, they could look to make one or two before heading into the year.
Among the remaining needs and options, pitching should be a priority. Jack Flaherty should be a name at the top of the Giants' list after the showing he had in 2024.
The right-hander threw the baseball at an excellent level, striking out 194 hitters in 162 innings while posting a 3.17 ERA.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline and played a huge role in winning the World Series, showing he can pitch in October when it matters most.
The Dodgers re-signing any of their former players can never be counted out, however, all indications indicate the California native will pitch for a different club next year.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes that team will be San Francisco, predicting Flaherty to land a three-year, $63 million deal.
"So, who's left that plausibly could make that much of an investment in the right-hander who had a remarkable bounce-back in 2024? Perhaps the Giants, who missed out on Corbin Burnes and who made short-term, option-laden deals with both Snell and Matt Chapman last winter? They opened last season with a $208M payroll and they're only at $173M, even after the recent signing of Justin Verlander."
$21 million AAV for a pitcher of Flaherty's caliber is more than fair after the contracts handed out to other starters over the past two winters.
If there's one reason to be worried about the former first-round picks' future, it's his back injury that some have questioned.
Flaherty looked more than fine in the playoffs and for much of last season, but back injuries are tricky, and the last thing the Giants want to do is sign someone who can't stay on the mound.
For $21 million, it might be a risk worth taking.
