Will Giants go over 90 wins this season?
The Giants have the highest win total of any team in Major League Baseball but is an over/under of 90 too high?
View 2016 World Series Futures Odds
Last week Atlantis Casino in Reno, Nevada released their season win totals for all 30 Major League Baseball teams and San Francisco was at the top of the list with 90 wins. No other team had a higher win total, with the Cubs being the next closest with an over/under of 89 victories for 2016.
So will the Giants go over or under? Our money is on the over and here’s why.
A Rebuilt Starting Rotation
One of the biggest reasons for the Giants winning three World Series titles since 2010 has been their pitching staff. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner each took turns leading a starting rotation that often dominated in the postseason. But following the 2015 season, it was clear San Francisco needed to upgrade its starting staff after Lincecum and Cain fell apart in previous years. So the Giants spent big money on free agents Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to bolster the No. 2 and No. 3 spots behind Bumgarner, their dynamic ace. Cain and Jake Peavy will fill out the rest of the rotation, while 2015 surprise Chris Heston will be viewed as a sixth man.
Health
The Giants still won 84 games last season despite losing Hunter Pence and Joe Panik to significant injuries. With Pence and Panik healthy at back in their regular lineup, San Francisco has more than enough offense to contend with any team in the National League. (Especially with Brandon Crawford coming off a 21-home run season, Buster Posey continuing to do what he does, and Matt Duffy emerging has the next homegrown talent that the Giants now produce on a regular basis).
Upgrades
The pitching staff isn’t the only part of the roster that the front office upgraded this offseason. The team also brought in former Nationals outfielder Denard Span to play centerfield, which will also allow the Giants to shift Angel Pagan to left. Span is an immediate upgrade over Pagan as a defender and with Crawford, Pence, Posey, Panik and Brandon Belt manning key spots, San Francisco’s defense as a whole will be solid.
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