SF Giants rumors: Team reportedly exploring upgrade at second base

While the SF Giants have made it clear they plan to address their dearth of pitching this offseason, there are a few spots in the lineup that could benefit from an upgrade. The team is reportedly looking to make an upgrade at second base.

Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic mentioned San Francisco's interest in an upgrade at second base in the context of the Tampa Bay Rays entertaining trading Brandon Lowe.

SF Giants reportedly looking for an upgrade at second base

The idea of the Giants changing things at second base is interesting because it is not the highest priority, but with limited opportunities to improve the lineup the Giants should be looking at every way they can get better.

Casey Schmitt did well for the Giants in 2025, slashing .237/.305/.401 with 12 home runs and 40 runs batted in. He also was a solid defender at second base so the Giants would not be in a bad spot if they entered 2026 with Schmitt as the Opening Day second baseman.

Yet, the Giants probably felt pretty good about having Tyler Fitzgerald as the starting second baseman entering last season coming off his strong 2024 campaign, but he declined at the plate in 2025. There is the chance the same thing could happen with Schmitt in 2026.

One second base upgrade is also off the board as the New York Mets landed San Francisco native Marcus Semien. There are other trade targets like Lowe or Brendan Donovan who would represent an upgrade, but the Giants may be reluctant to part ways with any trade chips they could use to try and upgrade the pitching staff.

Then there are free agent options who could represent an upgrade like Ha-Seong Kim, Jorge Polanco, and higher-end options like Bo Bichette.

But again, for a team that seems reluctant to commit substantial resources even to upgrade the pitching staff which is definitely a higher priority, it seems questionable that they would want to splurge on a free agent upgrade at second base.

Maybe second base is something the Giants can address after they have taken care of the rotation or added some more bullpen arms. Perhaps a free agent will linger into early next year and the Giants can get them at a discounted price.

It still seems most likely the Giants will enter 2026 utilizing their internal options at second base, but these reports suggest they are still kicking the tires on an upgrade at second base.