It was a strange feeling in the pit of Giants fans' stomachs Wednesday night as they watched the Chicago Cubs hoist the World Series trophy in an even year.
But regardless of the outcome of the 2016 season, it is safe to say the Giants are better prepared for an odd year than they have been since 2010.
While it is easy to say the Giants have a lot of areas that need to be addressed this offseason, some might say they were a closer away from winning Game 4 of the Division Series against the Cubs. And who knows what would have happened after that?
A closer. It's a problem that plagued the team the entire 2016 campaign. The Giants desperately need someone who can take the ball each night with the lead; the so-called closer by committee did not work.
The Giants recently indicated interest in former Royals closer Greg Holland, who is coming off of Tommy John surgery. They also may look at free agents Mark Melancon, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen.
Obtaining a closer is the obvious big need for the Giants this winter, but there are other areas that need to be addressed.
Left field. Giants fans have said the age-old tale of "The Giants haven’t had a solid left fielder since Barry Bonds" for years now and the same problem sits in the hands of general manager Bobby Evans.
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The most intriguing solution would be trying to get Yoenis Cespedes, who recently opted out of his contract with the New York Mets. Cespedes would provided the power the Giants lineup has been missing and is a valuable asset defensively.
Others to keep an eye on are Jose Bautista, whose contract has ended for the time being with Toronto, and Mark Trumbo, who had a breakout season for Baltimore. Trumbo may be a long shot for the Giants, who know that his power surge came in the American League and may not translate well at AT&T Park.
Third base. While Eduardo Nunez did provide a spark at times for the Giants down the stretch, it remains to be seen whether or not he can sustain the offensive output the team expects from that position every day. Despite being a hero most of way in the Giants short postseason, Conor Gillaspie likely is not a long-term option at the hot corner.
It will be interesting to see what the Giants decide to do at third, whether they keep Nunez or eventually bring up Christian Arroyo, who Giants fans have been eager to get a look at.
An area for Giants fans to be excited about is the new rotation San Francisco will feature in 2017. With ace Madison Bumgarner at the front, followed by Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Matt Moore and (potentially) Ty Blach, there is a lot of firepower on the mound each night.