With the baseball world wondering what the offseason plan is for the San Francisco Giants, the latest reporting suggests that the team is active with two key players. As rumors will continue surrounding the Giants in the offseason, look for the team to go after Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner and St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
“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,” Passan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “An infield of Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Donovan or Hoerner, and Rafael Devers would be among MLB's best.”
There's no doubt that both Hoerner and Donovan fill a need for San Francisco, which is a top second-baseman, though one has to wonder if the Cubs star would be traded, since he's been such a staple in their locker room. However, after Chicago traded for Alex Bregman, giving the team a decision to make in the infield with Hoerner and Matt Shaw, a deal could happen as Hoerner is seen as a “dream trade candidate” for San Francisco.
“Not just because he would fulfill the necessary role of ‘new guy at second base' that every Giants championship team has, similar to Brendan Donovan,” Grant Brisbee of The Athletic wrote Monday. “Hoerner would be perfect for the current Giants roster in every respect, on both sides of the ball and in the clubhouse, too.”
The Giants labeled as “front-runners” for Brendan Donovan in the past
It wouldn't be the first time that the Giants have been connected to Donovan, as they were even labeled as “front-runners” along with the Seattle Mariners for the Cardinals' second baseman back in December by Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants have emerged as front-runners for St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan, sources familiar with negotiations tell The Athletic, with the Cardinals looking to land multiple top prospects in a return,” Woo wrote on Dec. 14, 2025.
It remains to be seen if San Francisco ends up with either Hoerner or Donovan.
