This is one of the boldest San Francisco Giants trade ideas yet.
Friday July 18, 2025, on the radio show “The Morning Roast” with hosts Joe Spadoni and Joe Shasky, which airs on 95.7 The Game from 6am-10am PT, Shasky suggested the Giants make a trade for Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz.
Cruz, a former #1 overall prospect for the Pirates, hasn’t ever realized his full potential at the big league level. He has struggled both to hit and field consistently.
But, he clearly has some of the best physical traits and raw talent in the MLB. At 6’7’’ tall, 240 pounds of pure muscle and a National League-leading 29 steals in 2025, Cruz has always had the potential to be one of the most well-rounded players in the MLB.
He just showed off his raw power in the 2025 Home Run Derby. He didn’t win the whole contest, but he shined brightly in the first round with 21 home runs total, 5 home runs of over 475 feet and a mind-blowing 513 foot blast.
That 513 foot bomb tied the record for the longest Home Run Derby blast hit anywhere other than Coors Field, where the high elevation allows hits to travel further.
Many analysts, including Schasky, believe that Cruz just needs a change of scenery to unlock his full potential. They believe being on a contender like San Francisco could be the spark Cruz needs to become the MLB superstar that his talent suggests he could be.
Would the Pirates Trade Cruz?
There’s no question that the Pirates will be sellers at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline. With a 39-58 record and sitting at last place in the NL Central, it has been another disappointing season in Pittsburgh.
And Oneil Cruz is the perfect player for the Pirates to trade. They desperately need top prospects to build around Paul Skenes, and Cruz still has trade value at only 26 years old. But, he hasn’t panned out in Pittsburgh no matter what they have tried, so there’s no point to keeping him as a core player to build around.
Plus, after his Home Run Derby performance, intrigue in Cruz is likely at a high point for this season. There’s gotta be several GMs and front office people looking at that and thinking “I can fix him!”
But is Buster Posey, Giants President of Baseball Operations, one of those people?
What’s Cruz’s Fit in San Francisco?
Cruz started out his career as a shortstop. The Giants obviously wouldn’t trade for him to make him their everyday shortstop, because they already have a very good one in Willy Adames.
Lately, Cruz has been playing center field in Pittsburgh. He’s not going to play there in SF either, because the Giants have a lot invested in Jung-Hoo Lee.
If San Francisco traded for him, it would likely be to play right field. Which is obviously very difficult at Oracle Park and there would be a learning curve.
It’s also going to be tough to convince Giants fans that trading for an unproven bat is a good idea, even with Cruz’s tools. Hitters haven’t exactly gotten better after moving to San Francisco in recent years. Perhaps the biggest weakness for the Giants this season has been supposedly proven offensive contributors underperforming big time.
But if the Pirates are willing to do a one-for-one swap for a younger Giants prospect like Bo Davidson, it may be worth the risk for that kind of talent.
What do you think, Giants fans? Was Shasky on to something, or is trading for Oneil Cruz a bad idea?
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