Hot stove season kicked off with a handful of unexpected trades. But with some teams looking to move veteran players before MLB’s winter meetings begin next Sunday in Orlando, Fla., will the San Francisco Giants get in on the action?
A rare one-for-one trade hit first when the Texas Rangers swapped former A’s star Marcus Semien to the New York Mets for outfielder Brandon Nimmo on Nov. 24. The next day, the rebuilding St. Louis Cardinals sent pitcher Sonny Gray to the Red Sox with reportedly $20 million for one of Boston’s top prospects and another touted minor leaguer. The Cardinals and Rangers are among the few teams moving good players this offseason.
Which suggests there are willing trade partners if Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian are looking to deal. And there are positions the Giants are specifically targeting: Starting pitcher, late-inning relief help and right field.
There’s also a cold reality to address: Teams are going to ask about top prospect Bryce Eldridge‘s availability. The Giants should certainly keep the lines open.
Eldridge is the Giants’ top prospect and perhaps their most promising bat to come out of their farm system since Posey himself made his major league debut in September 2009. If Eldridge pans out, he could be one of baseball’s most prolific power hitters. His exit velocity and hard-hit rate ranked in the top 100th percentile across the minor leagues last season. He picked up a new position, first base, quickly and during his brief big league call up switched with Rafael Devers between first and DH. But Devers is signed to a hefty contract through the 2033.
There are other position players the Giants will likely field calls about, which doesn’t necessarily mean the players there are being shopped. Infielder Casey Schmitt, outfielder Heliot Ramos and perhaps catcher Patrick Bailey could interest teams, and all are under club control for at least the next four seasons. Schmitt had a big year this past season when he moved to second base, but he could interest teams looking for help at third base, Schmitt’s natural position. Ramos had a dismal year afield in left, but he’s a hard worker with the type of raw power teams covet. Bailey is the best pitch framer in baseball and his strong closing kick at the plate suggests improvement.
With the MLB-wide demand for starting pitching, it would likely take at least one of those names to grease the wheels for the Giants, particularly for a premier starter. The Red Sox had to send top pitching prospect Brandon Clarke in their package for Gray, who is 36 and only under team control through 2026 (with a mutual option for 2027).
Reds ace Hunter Greene’s name popped up early on in trade rumors because Cincinnati is looking to bolster its offense. Greene, 26, would command a franchise-altering haul. He has Cy Young-caliber stuff and is under a team-friendly contract through at least 2028. Getting Greene would almost certainly require giving up Eldridge.
But the Giants don’t necessarily need to move Eldridge to get involved in the trade market.
New Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is looking to clear the decks, which means the Gray trade is just the beginning. The Giants don’t have a spot for veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado, who the Cardinals have been trying to offload for two seasons (ill-timed as he has put up two of his least productive seasons at the plate), but St. Louis could trade from its outfield group. The Giants have 10 outfielders on their 40-man roster, but the search is still on for another everyday outfielder, preferably one who can improve their defense.
The drawback is that few of St. Louis’ potentially available options stand out defensively. Brendan Donovan fits a Giants need as a second baseman and outfielder with strong bat-to-ball skills. Lars Nootbaar also has unexceptional range in the outfield (minus-1 outs above average, per Statcast), but he gets on base and makes hard contact. Infielder Nolan Gorman and first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson – who had a standout 2025 – may also be in the mix.
The Brewers play with the kind of hustle that Posey has emphasized he wants to see in San Francisco, but their expendable players may all be on the pitching side of the ledger. Freddy Peralta was fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting this year and is Giants shortstop Willy Adames’ close friend. Peralta’s a huge potential trade target on paper and is owed just $8 million in his walk year. He may not command Eldridge, but competition among interested teams will be fierce for the 29-year-old.
He’s not the only Brewer of interest. Trevor Megill and Nick Mears are enticing bullpen pieces who are eligible for arbitration for the next two years. If the Brewers are cutting costs, the Giants should be in on both. Megill is a closer with 30 saves and a 2.49 ERA this year and Mears had a 3.49 ERA and often was used in high-leverage situations.
The Rangers are retooling their 2023 World Series team. In addition to trading Semien and star shortstop Cory Seager requesting a trade they non-tendered catcher Jonah Heim and outfielder Adolis Garcia. Both are free agents and played under Bruce Bochy, now with the Giants as an advisor.
Heim had an all-around bad 2025, but could be a consideration as a back-up to Bailey. There’s juice to squeeze on both ends; he had great pitch-framing seasons (2023, 2022) and was an All-Star 2023 in which he hit 18 home runs. Garcia, 32, has range and a strong arm as an outfielder, but saw a steep decline at the plate since his 39-homer season in 2023. He strikes out a ton, and posted a poor .665 OPS last season despite an exceptional hard-hit rate. If the Giants want to add another big swinger with a good glove, he could be a consideration.
