MVN: Most Valuable Network

The San Francisco Giants haven't been relevant since 2002 except for it's mercurial slugger, Barry Bonds.

They could be relevant again in 2009.

Yes, the Giants lost 90 games last year, but they were only 12 games back of the division winning Los Angeles Dodgers. Compare that to the 75-86 Oakland Athletics, which finished 24.5 games back. With a couple tweaks here and there, the Giants could win the division in 2009, and it's not as far fetched an idea as you may think it.

The Giants have two young, dominant pitchers heading up their staff in 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum and his sidekick, Matt Cain. Two other young players in Jonathan Sanchez and Noah Lowry also offer promise, but Barry Zito remains the laughingstock of baseball. If Zito can ever get it together, this is one deep rotation. If not, they can still compete with the best of them.

2008 was a transition year for the offense as they went from waiting around for Barry Bonds to get to the plate to having to manufacture runs.  Catcher Bengie Molina led the team in home runs with 16 and only two other year-long starters reached double digits (barely): Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn.

They weren't a team of burners either, with Winn pacing the team with 25 steals, followed by Fred Lewis' 21.  Eugenio Velez and Manny Burriss each checked in with double digits.

It's a solid offense that's lacking two playmakers, and it's those playmakers the Giants are chasing during the offseason. They're hot on the tail of shortstop Rafael Furcal, and Furcal has also expressed mutual interest. The team is desperate to be relevant again and put the Zito disaster behind them, so they're willing to spend. Adding Furcal would give the team a five-tool shortstop capable of batting in the top third of the order.

Even adding just Furcal would give the team hope of competing and finishing .500.  The Giants are looking for that big bopper, however, one that can get them 30 homers a year. They're likely to go the trade route for that hitter (but don't count out an under the radar signing of Adam Dunn) and could talk to Milwaukee about Prince Fielder and Philadelphia about Ryan Howard. (Howard was about to be shipped to the Dodgers for James Loney and Clayton Kershaw at the deadline until the Dodgers pulled out to insert themselves in the Manny talks.)

Acquiring either Fielder or Howard, however, would result in losing Matt Cain, so Giants GM Brian Sabean is likely to set his sights a little lower. He could make a play for the Pirates' Adam LaRoche or the White Sox's Paul Konerko, both of whom have been on the block for a while.

If the Giants make those two moves and round out their relief corps with a couple arms, don't be surprised to see the Giants playing in October.