The San Francisco Giants are “aggressively” exploring a trade for a second baseman, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. San Francisco is in talks with the Chicago Cubs about Nico Hoerner and with the St. Louis Cardinals regarding Brendan Donovan.
“The San Francisco Giants are aggressively pursuing a second baseman and have been engaged with Chicago on Nico Hoerner and St. Louis on Brendan Donovan, sources tell ESPN. An infield of Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Donovan or Hoerner and Rafael Devers would be among MLB’s best.”
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San Francisco finished 81-81 in 2025, a one-game improvement over the previous year, but only enough to secure third place in the NL West and miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season. The team parted ways with manager Bob Melvin in September and announced the hiring of his replacement, Tony Vitello, in October.
According to Passan, adding Hoerner or Donovan to the infield in San Francisco would put them among the best in the majors. Hoerner earned his second Gold Glove last season and had one of his best years at the plate, batting .297 while playing a career-high 156 games.
Donovan finished his fourth MLB season with the Cardinals in 2025, hitting a career-best .287 and posting a .775 OPS with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs. The former seventh-round pick was also named an All-Star for the first time last season and has a Gold Glove to his name.
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With spring training just over a month away, the clock is ticking on the Giants if they want to get this move done before players get back on the field in preparation for the 2026 campaign.
