The Giants had been recognized to have had curiosity in Kyle Tucker earlier than the Astros traded the outfielder to the Cubs, and The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly shared some particulars on that pursuit plus the brand new info that the Giants had been one of many many groups who talked to the White Sox about Garrett Crochet. San Francisco “made legit presents” for each Tucker and Crochet, Baggarly writes, “to the purpose that [the Giants] had been mentioned to really feel a bit uncomfortable with the gamers they had been prepared to sacrifice.” Nonetheless, neither provide included prime prospect Bryce Eldridge, and thus no trades materialized because the Astros and Sox every seen Eldridge’s inclusion as “a prerequisite.”
Eldridge was the sixteenth total decide of the 2023 draft, and he has already hit .292/.379/.514 with 29 dwelling runs over 649 plate appearances within the minors even earlier than he turned 20 years outdated final October. This sizzling hitting noticed Eldridge moved up the ladder to 4 completely different associates in the course of the 2024 season, although it’s value noting that his numbers dropped off (in small pattern sizes) as he performed increased ranges of minor league ball. Eldridge had a extra modest .785 OPS in 40 PA with Double-A Richmond after which a .601 OPS in 35 PA with Triple-A Sacramento.
Since he has already reached Triple-A, it isn’t out of the query that Eldridge’s MLB debut may come in the course of the 2025 season, particularly given how San Francisco was already aggressive along with his early promotions. LaMonte Wade Jr. is a free agent subsequent winter and has been the topic of commerce hypothesis even this offseason, so the trail ought to quickly be clear for Eldridge because the Bay Space’s first baseman of the longer term. Whereas the Giants will naturally wish to see him submit higher numbers within the higher minors earlier than calling him to the Present, it’s simple to see the potential within the 6’7″, 223-pound first baseman.
Eldridge matches the mildew of a basic left-handed slugger, and scouting experiences from each MLB Pipeline and Baseball America reward his enormous energy and his mature strategy on the plate. Pipeline and BA every place Eldridge thirty fifth in the newest editions of their league-wide top-100 prospects rankings. He’s the one Giants minor leaguer in Baseball America’s rankings, whereas Pipeline additionally has James Tibbs III (the thirteenth total decide of the 2024 draft) 88th on their record.
In both case, Eldridge is definitely the highest prospect in a San Francisco farm system that’s thought of to be comparatively skinny, so it isn’t stunning that the Giants aren’t keen to maneuver him in any trades. Clearly this can be a large roadblock in negotiations, since as Baggarly notes, “any workforce dangling a solid-average on a regular basis participant or higher goes to begin by asking for Eldridge — and never more likely to transfer off that place.”
The White Sox had been recognized to be specializing in younger place gamers in alternate for Crochet, and certainly three of the 4 prospects Chicago obtained from the Crimson Sox within the commerce bundle had been place gamers. As per Pipeline’s rankings of San Francisco’s farm system, the Giants are barely deeper in place gamers than pitchers, although to not the extent of Boston’s depth. Likewise, the Cubs nonetheless have a wealth of place gamers of their minor league system even after transferring Cam Smith as a part of the Tucker commerce.
Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey and GM Zack Minasian have but to finish a commerce of their restricted time main the San Francisco entrance workplace, although within the view of rival executives, Baggarly hears the Giants have been “hyperactive in making an attempt to generate commerce dialogue.” Since questions stay about how a lot possession is prepared to decide to the payroll this season, the commerce market may subsequently be the Giants’ greatest technique of including expertise to the roster, although that creates one other layer of complication if different groups are mainly centered on Eldridge among the many minor league prospects. As Baggarly frames the state of affairs, another entrance places of work have been making an attempt to see if they will get Posey or Minasian to chunk on an unfavorable commerce out of sheer inexperience, which has “led to some opening presents…which have amounted to non-starters and time wasters.”
When it comes to different commerce candidates, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle particulars a number of the gamers the Giants may nonetheless look to pry away from rival groups, and experiences that the Giants “had some curiosity” in Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner earlier this winter. The past-tense phrasing, nevertheless, signifies that San Francisco moved on after signing Willy Adames as the brand new on a regular basis shortstop, so Tyler Fitzgerald now seems to maneuver from shortstop to second base.
