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Switch-hitting SF Giants prospect may be as good as gone after 2025 MLB Draft

It sure seems like the SF Giants could be preparing for a trade.
ByNick San Miguel|
San Francisco Giants v Washington Nationals
San Francisco Giants v Washington Nationals | G Fiume/GettyImages

The SF Giants selected shortstop Gavin Kilen with their first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. That move could signal that the Giants are looking to use their No. 3 prospect, shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, as a trade chip.

Kilen put together a solid career in the collegiate ranks and president of baseball operations Buster Posey said he was impressed with Kilen's ability to get the barrel on the ball and make contact at a high rate. Those skills bring to mind a former Giants first-round pick. It is clear the Giants targeted players who strike out at a low rate in the draft.

SF Giants draft decisions may have given them a golden trade chip

However, it is interesting that Kilen is a shortstop when Josuar Gonzalez is a shortstop and is already one of the top prospects in the organization. He was considered the second-best international free agent of the 2025 class after Roki Sasaki.

He is only 17 years old so he has a long way to go, but maybe the Giants are looking to trade him to make a run at the World Series this year.

Other teams would certainly be intrigued by a switch-hitting shortstop with as much upside as Gonzalez has. His minor league stats are not incredible as he is slashing .246/.368/.333 in 30 games.

Yet, other teams would not be looking at that. They would be looking at his skills and potential and would certainly perk up a little bit when hearing that he has been compared to Jose Reyes.

Maybe including Gonzalez in trade talks gets a team like the Minnesota Twins a little more comfortable with the idea of trading pitcher Joe Ryan.

We know the Giants could benefit from another arm in their starting rotation. While Logan Webb and Robbie Ray have been superb and Landen Roupp has come on strong as of late, there are just too many question marks with Justin Verlander and Hayden Birdsong for the team to leave things unaddressed in that department.

After the Rafael Devers trade, we know that Posey likes to be aggressive. If he feels he can improve the team and give the Giants a legitimate chance to make a run in the playoffs by trading Gonzalez, then he is going to do it. The fact that the Giants drafted Kilen may even hint that Posey and the front office are planning for this.

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