Offseason Outlook: San Francisco Giants

theScore's baseball editors break down the past year for each team, and look ahead to the offseason.

Free agents: Tyler Colvin, Brandon Hicks, Michael Morse, Jake Peavy, Sergio Romo, Pablo Sandoval, Ryan Vogelsong

Arbitration-eligible players: Brandon Belt, Gregor Blanco, Brandon Crawford, Juan Gutierrez, Travis Ishikawa, Yusmeiro Petit, Hector Sanchez

2014 payroll: $149,089,475

What went right in 2014?

The Giants once again reveled in October glory, securing their third World Series championship in the last five years by downing the Kansas City Royals in seven games at the 110th Fall Classic. Though the Giants compiled just 88 wins during the regular season, the club's journey through the postseason helped legitimize a new model for team success characterized largely by strong defense and a dominant bullpen.

Only four teams boasted a more effective bullpen than the Giants in 2014, as the club's relief corps - anchored by Jean Machi, Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla - fashioned a 3.01 ERA while surrendering just 0.67 home runs per nine innings. The Giants also posted the fifth-best defensive efficiency rating in the majors, with their up-the-middle players (Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Joe Panik and Gregor Blanco) combining for 12 defensive runs saved.

Madison Bumgarner, meanwhile, established himself as the team's undisputed ace with his performance during the regular season, authoring a 2.98 ERA with a career-best 5.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 33 starts. The 25-year-old left-hander put on a truly historic display, however, once the calendar flipped to October, fashioning a ridiculous 1.03 ERA across six starts and one relief appearance in the postseason punctuated by three sensational outings in the World Series.

What went wrong in 2014?

The club's once vaunted rotation continued to crumble in 2014. Tim Lincecum did nothing to justify the two-year, $35-million deal he received last winter, fashioning a 4.74 ERA over 26 starts before being permanently relegated to the bullpen in August. Matt Cain struggled for a second successive campaign, posting a career-worst 4.18 ERA while serving up 13 home runs over 90 1/3 innings before an elbow injury ended his season in July.

Offseason Needs

Under normal circumstances, it'd be difficult to identify any glaring needs for a team that hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy one month ago, but the Giants are poised to lose a number of significant pieces to free agency this winter that will have to be replaced if they hope to once again compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

Third base

The Giants could be tasked with replacing a franchise stalwart this winter if they prove unable to re-sign Sandoval, who has already received a contract offer from the Boston Red Sox and is also drawing interest from the Toronto Blue Jays. Though the paunchy 28-year-old watched his offensive numbers slip a bit in 2014, Sandoval still managed a 111 OPS+ with 16 home runs over a career-high 157 games. Sandoval's efforts helped the Giants accrue more value at third base than all but five National League clubs, and the organization has few (if any) viable internal candidates to replace the 28-year-old, who has managed 7.9 WAR since 2012.

Top Targets

• Pablo Sandoval - Re-signing the two-time All-Star remains the top offseason priority for the Giants, who would be hard-pressed to ably replace Sandoval - a fan favorite in San Francisco.
• Chase Headley - The 30-year-old is a little bit older than Sandoval, but he may be the wiser investment this winter after posting at least 3.6 WAR in each of the last three seasons. Headley is an elite defender at third base, according to both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating, and though he's unlikely to replicate the offensive numbers he posted in 2012, he posted a 119 OPS+ over 58 games with the Yankees last season, away from the run-suppressing confines of Petco Park.

Starting pitcher

Manager Bruce Bochy may be tempted to toss Yusmeiro Petit into the rotation to compensate for the loss of Ryan Vogelsong and Jake Peavy, but the 29-year-old crafted a 1.84 ERA with a 0.86 WHIP out of the bullpen last season and is best suited to a relief role. As such, general manager Brian Sabean should look outside the organization to augment a starting corps that wasn't exactly dominant last season, fashioning a 3.74 ERA (110 ERA-) while serving up 0.90 home runs per nine innings.

Top Targets

• Hiroki Kuroda - The 39-year-old's plans for next season remain unclear - he could retire or head back to his native Japan to finish his career - but Kuroda nevertheless remains an appealing option for the Giants. The veteran right-hander enjoyed another fine season with the Yankees in 2014, crafting a 3.71 ERA (3.60 FIP) while posting a career-best 4.3 percent walk rate over 199 innings. Kuroda is not tied to draft-pick compensation and would be an attractive commodity to a team constructed to compete right now, as he's looking for a one-year deal.
• Aaron Harang - A 13-year veteran, Harang quietly posted solid numbers with the Braves last season, authoring a career-best 3.57 ERA (102 ERA+) with a 1.40 WHIP over 33 starts. The 36-year-old boasts pronounced fly-ball tendencies well-suited to the spacious environment of AT&T Park, and won't command a contract that'll add any real financial strain to a club that has already committed more than $127 million to next year's payroll.

Impact Prospect

Kyle Crick - The 21-year-old right-hander highlights a decidedly thin farm system unlikely to graduate much impact talent to the major leagues in the near future. Selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Crick breezed through the lower levels of the minor leagues before once again putting his electric stuff on display in the Eastern League last season. Wielding a plus-plus fastball with three offspeed offerings that all flash plus potential, Crick crafted a 3.79 ERA with a gargantuan 27.9 percent strikeout rate - the best mark in Double-A (min. 90 innings pitched). His command remains shaky, however, as he walked a higher percentage of batters than any other pitcher at his level, and he'll need to refine his delivery to more consistently locate his pitches.