The Dodgers should not underestimate the new-look Giants

The Los Angeles Dodgers topped the NL West with 104 wins in 2017; the San Francisco Giants finished last with 64 wins. Because of that, the Giants have been hard at work this offseason.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were the best team in baseball last season, period. Although they ultimately fell short in the World Series, Los Angeles’ depth and constant ability to find magic put them atop their peers.

The rivaled San Francisco Giants, however, well, they were an entirely different case. The odd-year curse starting in 2011 continued as the Giants finished a league-worst 64-98. Yes, the San Francisco Giants that have won three World Series’ this decade had the worst record in baseball.

There is a myriad of reasons why this happened. Ignore the whole even year, odd year, superstitions. The Giants battled injuries and some guys just flat out failed to meet expectations.

Madison Bumgarner started just 17 games for the Giants. This was his fewest games started and first time starting fewer than 30 games since 2010. When he was healthy he was good, but his 3.32 ERA did not really shout Madison Bumgarner-like production.

Brandon Crawford saw a noticeable dip in production from 2016; as did Brandon Belt, Hunter Pence and Johnny Cueto. Crawford and Belt are still young, so rebounding shouldn’t be too hard. As for Cueto, he is just 31 years old and a completely healthy season will give him better results.

Even with just the talent they have the Giants will not be as bad as they were in 2017. San Francisco could have not made a single move and still win at least 75 games; they are far too talented to law two eggs in two consecutive years.

However, they didn’t just settle for what they have. The Giants traded for both Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen. While they still may not be the same Longoria McCutchen of five years ago, they do make the Giants significantly better.

Longoria is definitely farther out of his prime. The all-star third baseman posted his worst season in terms of WAR — according to FanGraphs — since 2012 (when he played just 74 games). He hit the least amount of home runs in a full season in his career and his .261 batting average was his second worst.

Still, even if he is not at his best he is a huge upgrade than what the Giants previously had. FanGraphs projects Longoria to post a 3.0 WAR next season; the Giants third basemen last season combined for a -2.1 WAR.

Then there is McCutchen, who is still great and a lot better than people may realize. His defense in center field has become a liability, but in left field, he is much more suited towards league average. McCutchen rebounded from a poor 2016 to hit .279 with 28 home runs and 88 RBIs. His 3.7 WAR made him the 17th best outfielder last season.

Yet, Dodger fans do not seem to be blinking. This is the same San Francisco Giants that the Dodgers hold a bitter rivalry with. While I understand why fans would not take the Giants seriously, we should at least give them the respect they deserve.

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Hopefully, for the Dodgers, they do not fall into the same trap that the fans are. The Giants will undoubtedly be better in 2018, and this is coming from a Dodger fan. They are way, way too talented to be as bad as they are. Add in the new guys, and well, a return to .500 baseball (and even higher) could be in play.

Granted, the Giants will have their work cut out for them in the deepest division in baseball. However, the Diamondbacks proved last year that quick turnarounds are possible, even in a talent-stacked division.

Are the Dodgers still the better team? Absolutely. Do the Dodgers still have a better chance of winning their sixth straight NL West title? One hundred percent. However, the Giants definitely will give the Dodgers a run for their money in most of the games they play. In fact, it is safe to say that they are going to be right in the playoff hunt come September.

Next: Dodgers' most important series' of first half

The San Francisco Giants are undoubtedly better heading into 2018. The Los Angeles Dodgers must keep playing Dodger baseball. If they let off the gas with the Giants, bad things could happen.