Proposed SF Giants move would be the ultimate repudiation of Farhan Zaidi

The SF Giants could be in the market for a first baseman this offseason, but several options are already off the board. One bold move they could make would be to sign free agent Pete Alonso while trading top prospect Bryce Eldridge.

Obviously, this move would be the uiltimate repudiation of former president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi who was relieved of his duties after the 2024 regular season ended and was replaced by franchise legend Buster Posey.

Zaidi's regime was responsible for drafting Eldridge with their first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The six-foot-seven product out of Virginia has the potential to be a star on paper with his impressive power and offensive skills that allowed him to make it to Triple-A this past season as a 19-year-old.

Yet, maybe the incoming regime is not as high on Eldridge as the Zaidi regime was.

SF Giants could definitively end the Farhan Zaidi era with this move

In a recent live chat hosted by MLB Trade Rumors, writer Mark Polishuk responded to a reader question regarding Pete Alonso potentially signing with the Giants. After Paul Goldschmidt signed with the New York Yankees, Christian Walker signed with the Houston Astros, Carlos Santana signed with the Cleveland Guardians, and the Diamondbacks traded for Josh Naylor, Alonso is really the last appealing first base upgrade available.

Polishuk's answer on Alonso going to the Giants in an interesting one: "Signing Alonso blocks Eldridge, unless the Giants got really creative and flipped Eldridge as part of a trade.  Wouldn't be the first time that a new front office dealt a top prospect drafted by the previous front office."

If the Giants were to sign Alonso and trade Eldridge, it would be a very bold move. They would be giving Alonso a very sizable contract and would be betting on him to continue providing impressive power well into his 30's in a notoriously pitcher-friendly park.

This sort of move seems very unlikely. While it would be fun having Alonso hit dingers in the middle of the order, the Giants probably do not want to commit the money it will take to sign him. Plus, Eldridge does seem to have the potential to be a talented big-leaguer if he continues his torrid pace through the minors.

The Giants would be able to get a pretty decent haul for Eldridge, though. Perhaps they could trade him for a starting pitcher if they do not want to pay over $200 million to land Corbin Burnes. Or they could try to swing a trade to upgrade the outfield by landing a more reliable bat.

We know what can happen when a team waits too long to trade a prospect. The Giants gave Joey Bart opportunities but his struggles made him dead weight by the time the Giants got rid of him. The same can be said for Marco Luciano who would not draw anywhere near the same haul now that he would have prior to the 2024 season.

Despite this, signing Alonso and trading Eldridge still feels very unlikely. The Giants want to have an exciting crop of homegrown players fans can get excited about and Eldridge would be the centerpiece of that plan. Plus, signing Alonso to a long-term deal does not seem like the kind of risky move Posey wants to make right now.

Posey does not seem like the kind of guy who wants to come in and undo all of the things done by his predecessor. All he cares about is winning and building sustainable success, and right now keeping Eldridge seems like the best way to ensure that.