The SF Giants were surprisingly linked to left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber. While this is just a rumor and we do not know for sure if the Giants have serious interest in Schwarber, if they do it could be bad news for top prospect Bryce Eldridge.

If the Giants were to land Schwarber, they would certainly be getting a huge boost to their lineup. He blasted 56 home runs last season and is one of the premier power hitters in the game. However, given his defensive limitations he would probably have to be the team’s designated hitter.

SF Giants landing Schwarber could lead to an Eldridge tradeEmpty heading

With the Giants already having Rafael Devers in the lineup, that means he would be the everyday first baseman and Schwarber would be the everyday DH. That does not really leave any room for Eldridge unless the Giants want to pull another Travis Ishikawa experiment and stick him in the outfield.

That would likely mean the Giants would entertain trading Eldridge. The Giants are obviously high on him but if they had Devers locked up to a deal that will extend into the 2030’s and Schwarber signed to a multi-year deal, there is no space for Eldridge.

He did not do a lot in his brief call-up at the end of the 2025 season, but he is still a supremely valuable trade chip for any team out there. His power potential is enormous so a lot of teams would listen if the Giants dangled him.

With it becoming more evident that the Giants are not willing to sign a starting pitcher to a long-term contract, it seems the only way the Giants will be able to land an elite starting pitcher is via trade. Maybe the Giants could land someone like Joe Ryan, Freddy Peralta, or Hunter Greene if they offered Eldridge in a trade.

Still, it feels fairly unlikely that the Giants will land Schwarber. They have repeatedly come up short in free agent pursuits and would likely have to overpay for Schwarber to get him to come to San Francisco and play half his games in a park where it is notoriously difficult to hit home runs.

The more likely scenario is that they will not land a big slugger and will be hoping that Eldridge takes a big step forward.

Still, the fact that the Giants even have reported interest in Schwarber is noteworthy and may suggest that they are open to trading Eldridge.