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The offseason proved to be an exercise in patience for the Giants, who slowly but surely managed to address virtually all of their glaring needs through a flurry of big-ticket signings that extended into the penultimate week of Spring Training.

In the end, San Francisco committed over $320 million to six free agents -- Jung Hoo Lee, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jordan Hicks and Tom Murphy -- and took on an additional $74 million by acquiring Robbie Ray from the Mariners, resulting in a revamped roster that will be intent on returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

The path to contention won’t be easy, but the Giants feel they have enough firepower to keep pace in the star-studded National League West and reinvigorate their demanding fan base this summer.

“The quality of guys that we brought in and the number of areas that were addressed, it makes me pretty excited for the season,” outfielder Michael Conforto said. “I think the overall feeling in here is that we’re going to be very competitive. Obviously, we’re planning to go out there and be one of the top teams in the league.”

That journey will begin on Thursday, when new manager Bob Melvin returns to San Diego to lead the Giants against the Padres -- his former club -- in a highly anticipated Opening Day matchup at Petco Park.

What needs to go right? The starting rotation needs to dominate

With Snell and Logan Webb in the fold, the Giants will have the top two finishers in the 2023 National League Cy Young race leading their rotation this year. The group figures to become even nastier once Alex Cobb, a 2023 All-Star, and Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young winner, are healthy and back at full strength.

Throw reliever-turned-starter Hicks and young pitching prospects like Kyle Harrison into the mix and San Francisco has the potential to boast the best starting staff in the Majors by midseason. The Giants will go as far as their arms take them, so they’ll be leaning on their starters to consistently shut down opposing lineups and carry them back into the postseason in 2024.

Great unknown: How will Jung Hoo Lee hold up over his first Major League season?

Lee hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to handling big league pitching this spring, but the bigger challenge might be sustaining that productivity over the course of a 162-game season, which will include a far more grueling travel schedule than he experienced while playing in the KBO. The Giants are counting on their $113 million man to be their everyday center fielder and leadoff hitter, so they’ll need him to be a durable and consistent presence atop the lineup this year.

Team MVP will be ... Matt Chapman

The Giants were an obvious landing spot for Chapman given his familiarity with Melvin, his former manager in Oakland, but this pairing made sense on several other levels as well. A two-time Platinum Glove winner and a four-time Gold Glover, Chapman should significantly upgrade the Giants’ infield defense and help support a pitching staff that led the Majors with a 48.7 percent ground-ball rate in 2023.

While he’s coming off a down offensive year in Toronto, Chapman could be due to rebound now that he’s over the right index finger injury that hampered him at the plate last season. The star third baseman will certainly be motivated to perform on both sides of the ball, as he signed a one-year, $18 million deal and will have the ability to re-enter the free-agent market next winter if he can put together another monster season in San Francisco.

Team Cy Young will be ... Logan Webb

This isn’t an easy prompt considering the quality of arms the Giants are expected to have on their pitching staff this year, but Webb still gets the nod here due to his track record of dependability and durability over the last three seasons. Even after his career year in 2023, the 27-year-old Webb remains determined to improve in as many areas as possible, underscoring the unrelenting competitiveness that has helped mold him into the Giants’ undisputed clubhouse leader this year.

Bold prediction: Jorge Soler will finally break the Giants’ 30-homer drought

The Giants have famously not had a hitter produce a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004, but they addressed their need for a big power bat by signing Soler, who crushed 36 home runs in an All-Star campaign for the Marlins in 2023. Oracle Park isn’t known for being particularly friendly to hitters, but Soler’s elite exit velocity and barrel rate should play anywhere and give him a legitimate shot at ending the Giants’ long-standing power drought.