Dodgers: 3 reasons why the rivalry with Giants is officially back

1. This is the Giants’ last run with this core

Posey may be the only Giant to win World Series with the franchise in 2010, 2012 and 2014, but Crawford and Belt were there in ’12 and ’14. Posey has a hefty team option for 2022 that could very well get declined while Crawford and Belt are free agents.

As for the others on this team? Cueto has an expensive team option that will likely get rejected; Wood is a free agent; Gausman is a free agent; DeSclafani is a free agent; Donovan Solano is a free agent; Aaron Sanchez is a free agent; Wilmer Flores could have his option declined.

In other words, it’s more than likely the Giants will be undergoing a heavy makeover this coming offseason, which means these guys are all in with their attempt to make some sort of run in 2021.

The last time San Francisco sniffed October was back in 2016 when, for a second, it looked like they were going to recreate their even year matchup and boot the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. But that was the Cubbies’ year, and they battled in Game 4 to stop the Giants from coming back and forcing a Game 5.

Since then, it’s been nothing short of disastrous for fans in the Bay Area. But there’s renewed hope thanks to a bunch of shrewd offseason additions and veteran renaissances that have contributed to this hot start.

Though it could very well flame out and the Dodgers could blow them out of the water once they revert back to full strength, we can’t count on that until there’s definitive proof. On May 21, it’s a different story. And the Giants and Dodgers will be viewing one another as competition for the postseason.

Finally, fans can enjoy the back and forth in a regular, non-shortened campaign. Enjoy the renewed rivalry, at least for a weekend.

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