2012 Giants

New: Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan

2012 Athletics

New: Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes

The Giants hope that a little improvement will go a long way in 2012. San Francisco no dramatic additions to a team that scored a National League-low 570 runs and averaged 3.52 runs per game, the fourth-lowest total in franchise history. But hiking those numbers just a little should enable the Giants to finish above .500 for the fourth consecutive year and remain contenders in the NL West. The Giants went 55-9 last season when scoring four runs or more. Their .859 winning percentage in those games was the highest in the Major Leagues. If the pitching staff remains elite -- which of course is not a given -- even a minor bump in offense could have a significant effect.

Though the A's may finally appear ready to say goodbye to 2011, which resulted in their fifth straight non-winning season, they're not exactly prepared to welcome the 2012 campaign. At least not yet. Plenty of questions still face the A's as they flip the calendar, and what follows is MLB.com's attempt to address some of them. The A's have used this offseason to plant the seeds for a rebuild, evidenced by their decision to trade All-Stars Gio Gonzalez, Andrew Bailey and 2011 Opening Day starter Trevor Cahill, along with lefty Craig Breslow. Their unwavering stance as a team on a spending hold with no qualms on dealing other names while they await a stadium decision has held true.

2013 Update - Season ended

Giants finish tied for 3rd (76-86)
Athletics lose to Tigers in ALCS (96-66)