Giants second basemen were among the least productive in baseball in 2025, hitting a combined .217/.273/.343. The resulting 73 wRC+ (indicating they were 27% worse than average at the plate) ranked 27th in the majors, leading only the Angels, A’s and Rockies. Tyler Fitzgerald led San Francisco with 233 at bats as the team’s second baseman, followed by Casey Schmitt (193), Christian Kos (137) and Brett wise (43). All four scored well below average with the bat while playing second base (although Schmitt hit better while playing other positions and was close to league average with the bat overall).
Donovan or Hoerner would be a major upgrade. Both will play next season at the age of 29. Both are established contact hitters with defensive versatility, although the presence of Matt Chapman And Willy Adames on the left side of the infield would reduce the Giants’ need to take advantage of that positional flexibility. Donovan, who agreed to a one-year, $5.8 million contract last week to avoid arbitration, is under control through the 2027 season. Hoerner is owed $12 million in the final season of his three-year, $35 million contract this season.
Donovan thinks he is the easier of the two in trade talks. The Cardinals are in the early stages of a multi-year rebuild under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. They have already been shipped Son Gray And Willson Contreras in separate trades with the Red Sox, and they have expressed interest in lefty JoJo Romero while I am also busy finding a buyer for it Nolan Arenado. Donovan’s remaining two years of club control don’t align with a realistic path to contention in St. Louis, and of all the team’s offseason trade assets, he’s the one most likely to earn a significant return.
Since making his MLB debut four years ago, Donovan has done nothing but hit. He has a lifetime .282/.361/.411 hit in the batter’s box (119 wRC+) and has regularly proven to be one of the game’s toughest strikeouts. He drew walks in 8.2% of his plate appearances in 2025 (9.1% career) and fanned at just a 13% clip (13.5% career). Donovan’s power is below average — he’s never hit 14 home runs in a season — but he’s a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner who can also handle third base and outfield corners (and maybe shortstop, in a pinch).
Hoerner is statistically one of Donovan’s most comparable hitters. Over the past five seasons, his .285/.342/.388 line (106 wRC+) closely resembles Donovan’s production. Hoerner runs much more often (131 steals to Donovan’s 15) and would be an asset at shortstop if not for his sliding to second base out of respect for Dansby Swanson at short stop.
Unlike the Cardinals, however, the Cubs are clearly in win-now mode. Trading Hoerner just days after agreeing to a five-year deal Alex Bregman would offset much of the good that Bregman’s signing brought about. Given that, it seems very likely that the Cubs would immediately seek MLB talent in any trade involving Hoerner, and the acquisition cost would be quite high. Chicago can always move former top prospect Matt Shaw to second base — he could be the heir apparent there now anyway — but the Cubs could also just keep all three infielders for the 2026 season and use Shaw in a useful role before handing him over to second base full-time in 2027.
As far as payroll goes, the Giants should have little trouble getting both players into the picture. RosterResource projects currently a $185 million payroll for San Francisco. That’s a few million more than last year’s level, but also well below the franchise record of $200 million from 2018. And considering the owner has made three separate nine-figure commitments in the last 18 months (Chapman’s $151 million extension, Adames’ $182 million contract, the $250 million+ remaining on Devers’ contract), it stands to reason that they’re at least open to further additions.
It’s worth noting that there’s no indication from Passan that Hoerner and Donovan are the two only two targets the Giants are focusing on. The free-agent market still has one high-profile option Bo Bichetteand even if he ends up elsewhere, that deal itself could create some potential avenues for the Giants to explore. For example, if Bichette were to sign in Philadelphia, the Phillies might be more inclined to part ways Bryson Stott than would otherwise be the case. If he ended up in Boston, the Red Sox might have some extra infielders to discuss in trades. There are several paths for the Giants to consider and other needs that still need to be addressed on the roster (namely the bullpen), but now that they’ve been added Tyler Mahle And Adriaan Huiser in the rotation, it appears second base is their focus for now.
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