SF Giants brought a surprise guest in private meeting with Roch Cholowsky

The SF Giants have made it known of their desire to add UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowksy in this year's draft. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Buster Posey had a private meeting with Cholowsky, which included Brandon Crawford in attendance.

There is an obvious connection between Crafword and Cholowsky. Not only are they middle infielders who attended UCLA, but Nightengale adds that Cholowsky idolized Crawford and sought out his advice before attending college.

I am afraid to add that Cholowsky was far too young to have watched Crawford during his UCLA days, but the UCLA connection has seemingly created a strong bond between the two shortstops.

At one point, Crawford was viewed as a potential first-round pick, but slid to the fourth round in the 2008 draft. That proved to be in the Giants' favor, as he etched out a strong career in San Francisco.

The odds of Roch Cholowsky slipping to the SF Giants are low

While the Giants had one UCLA shortstop fall into their lap, history may not repeat itself this time around. They added fuel to the rumor by trading Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians. The Giants received the No. 29 pick in that deal, along with the corresponding $3.2 million slot value that comes with the pick.

That gives them the fourth-largest bonus pool at $17.3 million. They can exceed that amount by five percent with only paying a tax on the overage, so the maximum bonus pool is at $18.2 million.

The Giants hold the No. 4 pick in this year's draft. Roch Cholowsky is widely expected to be selected by the Chicago White Sox with the top pick. That pick has a slot value of $11.3 million.

The Giants can control only what they can control. They can let it be known to Cholowsky and his representatives that they are prepared to surpass the current record for a signing bonus out of the amateur draft at $9.25 million. That was handed out to Chase Burnes and Charlie Condon by the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, respectively, in the 2024 draft.

The Giants now have the financial flexibility to make that happen. However, the odds of three teams passing on him are extremely low. That is the part they cannot control. Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline also poured cold water on the idea, saying that Cholowsky will receive life-changing money this year, even if it may not the largest offer available.

The Giants are making an effort to recruit Cholowsky to San Francisco. The odds of that playing out in reality are extremely low.

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