San Francisco Giants' Six-Game Florida Road Trip Will Show Team's True Status

The San Francisco Giants had one of the most under-the-radar offseasons after signing some of the biggest names who were available on the market.

Getting Korean phenom Jung Hoo Lee, the reigning NL Cy Young Winner Blake Snell, and one of the best third baseman in the game Matt Chapman, lifted up the profile of their roster to the point where there were expectations for them to compete for a playoff spot.

But things haven't quite gone to plan so far.

They sit with a 5-8 record and needed a strong performance on Wednesday to avoid being swept by the Washington Nationals.

Maybe that's what gets the Giants going after they took a much different approach on the base paths and got another great pitching performance from Jordan Hicks.

But heading into this six-game Florida road trip where they face the Tampa Bay Rays starting Friday and the Miami Marlins after that series is complete, this will truly give an idea about if they can contend or not.

The Rays are always formidable, but they don't quite have that magical aura around them like they've had in years past. They currently sit at 7-6 with offensive numbers around the middle of the league and pitching numbers much worse than their previous iterations.

Tampa Bay is gettable, and if the Giants are going to truly compete in a loaded National League, they need to show that they can win these types of games.

Following those three contests, they'll head south to take on the Marlins who have the worst record in the MLB entering Friday's action.

San Francisco needs to dominate this series, certainly winning it, but with the aim of sweeping.

Good teams beat the bad teams and are also able to compete with other good teams.

That's what the Giants have on this road trip as they get set to face the Rays in a matchup that is winnable before hitting Miami where they should leave victorious.