The San Francisco Giants capped off a magical October run with their first San Francisco-based World Series victory and the first franchise World Series since they were playing in New York's Polo Grounds in 1954. They were sizable underdogs against the Phillies in the NLCS and against the Rangers in the World Series but they handled their business in fairly dominant fashion behind superior pitching and well-timed hitting.
The Giants World Series victory was keyed by a crafty mix of youthful talent, offseason free agent acquisitions, and timely midseason trades and waiver wire acquisitions. Brian Sabean has come under immense criticism (often with good reason), but he made some very solid deals in recent years to put together this World Series champion.
As we move into November the San Francisco Giants have numerous decisions to make, including whether to resign key free agents like Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe. They have to decide how to handle arbitration cases for the likes of Andres Torres, Jonathan Sanchez, and NLCS MVP Cody Ross. They have to figure out potential long term deals for some of their younger talent. And of course, they have to decide how much talent should be brought in to solidify their chances of repeating as champions.
While the Giants did win the World Series, a lot of things fell their way, which means they can not rest on their laurels if they want to repeat as champions. There are holes to fill and we'll be here all offseason following the Giants dealings as they look to become the first team to repeat as world champs since the 2000 New York Yankees.