IMAGE: Imagn Images<\/div>\n
The San Francisco Giants are surfacing in some intriguing trade chatter this offseason, and if the latest buzz is any indication, they\u2019re not just window shopping. According to recent reports, the Giants are among the frontrunners in talks for Cardinals utilityman Brendan Donovan – and that\u2019s not all. There\u2019s also word that they\u2019re kicking the tires on a potential deal for Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with Donovan. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter is coming off a season shortened by a sports hernia that limited him to 118 games, but when healthy, he\u2019s been a model of consistency.<\/p>\n
He owns a career slash line of .282\/.361\/.411, with strong plate discipline (9.1% walk rate, 13.5% strikeout rate) and the kind of versatility that front offices covet. He logged 18 games in left field last season, though his best value still comes on the infield dirt.<\/p>\n
With an arbitration projection of $5.4 million, Donovan is a cost-controlled piece who fits snugly into a roster looking to stretch its dollars while still adding impact.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s Marte – a switch-hitter with a more dynamic offensive profile and a more complicated contract. He\u2019ll be 32 next season and is under a deal that pays him $15 million annually, though deferrals reduce the present-day cost to around $12.3 million.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a team-friendly structure for a player who\u2019s been one of the most productive second basemen in baseball when healthy. That\u2019s the key caveat, though: Marte\u2019s injury history is well-documented.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s only topped 140 games three times in his 11-year career and has missed about 20% of Arizona\u2019s games over the past two seasons. Still, when he\u2019s on the field, he\u2019s elite – posting 6.3 fWAR in 136 games in 2024 and 4.6 fWAR in 126 games this past season.<\/p>\n
Both Donovan and Marte were All-Stars in 2025, and both bring different strengths to the table. Marte offers more thump – a rare blend of contact, power, and on-base skills – while Donovan leans more toward high-contact, high-OBP value.<\/p>\n
Their projections reflect that difference: Marte is in the 4.5-WAR range, while Donovan sits closer to 3 WAR. Either would be a meaningful upgrade for a Giants team looking to solidify its infield and improve its offensive consistency.<\/p>\n
The Giants\u2019 interest in either player suggests they\u2019re not content to run it back with their current second base group, especially with some uncertainty around Casey Schmitt\u2019s health heading into the season. While both Donovan and Marte have logged time in the outfield, their best defensive homes are likely at second base or DH, so any acquisition would likely come with a ripple effect across the roster.<\/p>\n
Of course, talent like this doesn\u2019t come cheap. Marte, in particular, would command a hefty return.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard to imagine a deal getting done without top prospect Bryce Eldridge being part of the conversation. For Donovan, names like Gavin Kilen and Carson Whisenhunt have been floated as potential fits in a return package – a sign that the Cardinals are targeting high-upside, controllable talent as part of their rebuild.<\/p>\n
This marks the second time in just a few days that the Giants have been connected to Donovan, and with the Mariners also reportedly in the mix, it\u2019s clear that St. Louis is actively shopping him.<\/p>\n
Whether the Giants are serious contenders or simply being used to drive up the price for other suitors remains to be seen. But it\u2019s worth noting that San Francisco has been linked to several high-value, cost-effective players this winter – including Freddy Peralta – as they look to thread the needle between contention and financial flexibility.<\/p>\n
For Buster Posey and the Giants\u2019 front office, this is a pivotal offseason. Ownership wants results, but the team has shown caution when it comes to handing out top-of-market contracts. That makes players like Donovan and Marte – both All-Stars, both under team control, both capable of making an immediate impact – especially appealing.<\/p>\n
If the Giants do pull the trigger on one of these deals, it would signal a clear intent to compete now without mortgaging the future. And if they don\u2019t?<\/p>\n
Well, the fact that they\u2019re even in these conversations tells us they\u2019re not sitting idle. They\u2019re exploring every avenue, and that in itself is a sign of a front office that knows the pressure is on – and isn\u2019t afraid to swing big.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The San Francisco Giants are surfacing in some intriguing trade chatter this offseason, and if the latest buzz is any indication, they\u2019re not just window shopping. According to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n
Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The San Francisco Giants are surfacing in some intriguing trade chatter this offseason, and if the latest buzz is any indication, they\u2019re not just window shopping. According to...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-14T12:46:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"XuanTan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345\",\"name\":\"Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-14T12:46:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-14T12:46:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06\",\"name\":\"XuanTan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"XuanTan\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade - NEWS USA","og_description":"The San Francisco Giants are surfacing in some intriguing trade chatter this offseason, and if the latest buzz is any indication, they\u2019re not just window shopping. According to...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-12-14T12:46:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"XuanTan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"XuanTan","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345","name":"Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-14T12:46:08+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-14T12:46:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Rinrin-27-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=130345#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Giants Linked to Trade for Key Second Base Upgrade"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ac862d5ceb335ec8f1e374ed4bdb0c06","name":"XuanTan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f0d0d8858cf9c64fc1f3105c62cff269864cf9a26f88149688bdf4dc953df45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"XuanTan"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130345"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130354,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130345\/revisions\/130354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/130353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=130345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=130345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/files.fanbeat.win\/art\/JzB9OztQDuBW.avif\")
<\/p>\n