Fansided

These teams can still save their season if they get hot in June

By Joshua Sadlock

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 9: Joe Mauer #7 of the Minnesota Twins reacts to striking out against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of the game on April 9, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Astros defeated the Twins 2-0. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 9: Joe Mauer #7 of the Minnesota Twins reacts to striking out against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of the game on April 9, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Astros defeated the Twins 2-0. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 08: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants watches the action during a game against Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 8, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Giants 4-2. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 08: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants watches the action during a game against Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 8, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Giants 4-2. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

3. San Francisco Giants

After the debacle that was the 2017 season, the San Francisco Giants spent the offseason attempting to work within their limitations to upgrade the roster. This is not a team with significant financial freedom or prospect depth from which to deal, so the front office was not free to do exactly as they pleased to fix a messy situation. Still, the Giants were able to come away with Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria and their combined eight All-Star appearances without putting themselves too much further behind the eight ball.

The merits of those trades can be debated. After all, both players are on the wrong side of 30 and have been up and down the past three years. What was not up for debate was the fact that the Giants made themselves better, at least on paper.

Two months in, and the Giants are still a sub-.500 team. McCutchen and Longoria have not brought much added punch to a weak offense and the rotation has been without ace Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto. The loss of Bumgarner to a broken hand in Spring Training could not have been planned for, and Cueto was actually off to a very strong start before suffering a sprained elbow that will keep him out until the end of June.

With Bumgarner set to return from the DL at some point in the next week, the Giants should still feel as though they have a chance to keep up in the NL West. There has not been much separation at the top, and their chief rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have been dealing with their own slow start. Not that the Giants are a bunch of world-beaters, but they are improved from last year, get their ace back, and have not been buried in a tough division.

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