MLB Rumors: Giants In Trade Talks With Two Teams
.jpg "St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan reacts during 2025 game.")
The urgency makes sense: Giants second basemen combined to hit just .217/.273/.343 in 2025, good for a 73 wRC+ that ranked near the bottom of the league.
Nico Hoerner could be the Cubs name the Giants want
Hoerner checks a lot of boxes for what the Giants have been missing up the middle: steady contact, speed, and premium defense.
He’s been a remarkably consistent hitter over the past five seasons (a .285/.342/.388 line, 106 wRC+) and he brings an entirely different running element, with 131 steals in that span.
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. An infield of Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Donovan or Hoerner and Rafael Devers would be among MLB's best.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2026
He’s also coming off a strong 2025 and is owed $12 million in the final year of his contract, but the complication is obvious, as the Cubs are trying to win now, and moving Hoerner would be a major step unless they’re blown away by immediate MLB help coming back.
Brendan Donovan may be the cleaner deal if the Cardinals commit to a reset
Donovan looks like the more available target on paper because St. Louis is positioned as a club willing to move useful pieces for the right return.
He’s controlled through 2027 and just agreed to a one-year, $5.8 million deal to avoid arbitration, and his profile is exactly what contenders like: a tough strikeout, high-contact bat with defensive versatility.
He has a career .282/.361/.411 slash (119 wRC+) and is a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, even if the power is more solid than “thumping.”
Sources: #Cubs are “unlikely” to deal Nico Hoerner. Been told #Giants have offered numerous packages centered around multiple different prospects, something the #Cubs have no interest in. I’m told if they were to move Nico #Mariners would be the best fit with the amount of MLB… pic.twitter.com/ipCjzdMo6f
— MoccBomb (@MoccBomb) January 14, 2026
The Giants are clearly trying to finish the infield, and either player would be a dramatic upgrade over the 2025 second base production.
Hoerner likely carries the higher acquisition cost because Chicago has every reason to keep him, while Donovan feels more like a realistic trade path if the Cardinals keep leaning into reshaping the roster.
Photo Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
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