The San Francisco Giants are looking to upgrade their roster in several areas this offseason. Additional starting pitchers and an outfielder are undeniably two specific needs for the team at the moment. After all, the Giants are unlikely to bring back Justin Verlander and lost Mike Yastrzemski in free agency.
While signing a quality outfielder is likely San Francisco’s top offensive priority, they could soon shift this focus. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the club is actively pursuing a trade for Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner. Acquiring the two-time Gold Glove winner would perhaps be the best-case scenario among potential targets. The Giants’ coaching staff and execs value defense very much.
The Cubs would certainly prefer to keep hold of Hoerner. Nevertheless, the star is set to enter his final year under contract with the club. Because of this, the infielder has been linked with a move away from Wrigley Field in recent weeks. Assuming Hoerner and the Cubs cannot agree on an extension, he may very well be moved in the near future.
San Francisco Giants Also Targeting Nico Hoerner Alternatives
GettyNico Hoerner is widely considered one of the best second basemen in baseball.
Defense, however, is not Hoerner’s only strong suit. In fact, the Bay Area native led the 2025 Cubs in hits, batting average, and only trailed Kyle Tucker in OBP. According to Fangraphs.com, Hoerner’s WAR was the second-highest among players in his position in the entire league.
Although the Giants would love to get the Cubs star, he is not the team’s only potential target. The aforementioned outlet claims that Brendan Donovan, Brandon Lowe, and Ketel Marte are also being monitored by San Francisco. Donovan is almost certain to be traded by the St. Louis Cardinals at some point this winter.
Lowe would be an interesting option for the Giants, as he can play second base and the outfield. Meanwhile, Marte has been heavily linked with a move away from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The All-Star is currently being chased by several suitors, but the Giants are on his five-team no-trade list.
San Francisco typically went with either Tyler Fitzgerald or Casey Schmitt at second base throughout the 2025 season. Schmitt was previously ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the team’s system back in 2023. While the Giants still rate the former second-round pick, Hoerner would be a significant upgrade at the position.
Giants May Not Be Able to Offer Frontline Prospects in Trade
Despite Hoerner’s precarious contract situation, the Cubs would likely need to be blown away to trade the star this offseason. This is where the Giants could run into problems. Although San Francisco’s prospect pool is getting better, ESPN recently ranked it 24th out of 30 MLB teams.
The team’s top prospects, Bryce Eldridge and Josuar Gonzalez, are likely untouchable. Outside of this duo, the Giants could potentially offer up some highly-rated international pitchers. Keyner Martinez and Argenis Cayama are both currently inside San Francisco’s top 10 prospects.
Martinez racked up 97 strikeouts in 69.1 total innings between rookie ball and A in 2025. Cayama, on the other hand, dominated the rookie league this past season before struggling a bit in A. Neither youngster is expected to be ready for major league hitters for a few years.
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