What would be considered a successful season for the 2020 Giants?

With the San Francisco Giants set for a rebuild in 2020, what would constitute success for a team that will most likely not compete for the playoffs?

The San Francisco Giants head into the 2020 season with a rebuild in mind. So if they most likely are not going to contend for the postseason, what would constitute a successful season?

Some projections have the Giants winning less than 70 games. It remains to be seen if they will really be that bad, but with the roster’s current lack of strength in any one area, it would not be surprising if the biggest storyline late in the year is whether the team can crack 70 wins.

But if the Giants are going to be bad, does it really matter if they win 67 or 75 games? In the grand scheme of things, not really. What does matter is how the younger players fare and if they prove that they are a part of the future of the team.

That includes guys like Mauricio Dubon, Joey Bart, and Sean Hjelle. All figure to play quite a bit for the Giants in 2020, so they will have a chance to show new manager Gabe Kapler what they are capable of.

This year will also be important for the Giants to improve their roster via trade if they can. They have numerous veterans who are signed to one-year deals or are in the final year of their contract who they could ship to teams that are in contention.

This includes Kevin Gausman, Drew Smyly, and Jeff Samardzija. If any of those guys are having solid years or if contending teams think they could help them out, then the Giants would be wise to deal one or two of them in exchange for a younger player who could be a part of the rebuild.

It is kind of sad to think that a successful year for the Giants at this point involves trading away any good players they have in exchange for younger ones. But that is the state of the San Francisco Giants organization in 2020.

So we shall see how the young guys fare and whether the team can acquire any good prospects via trade. If the up-and-comers do well and they improve the team via trade, then I think it would be fair to call 2020 a success.