Why SF Giants may have to trade second baseman despite solid 2025 season

The SF Giants have not had a ton go right for them this season. One positive development has been the emergence of infielder Casey Schmitt, but he seems like a player who could be on the move in the offseason.

The Giants began the year with Tyler Fitzgerald at second base, but his struggles have resulted in him spending a good chunk of the year in Triple-A. Schmitt has largely stepped in to fill the void and has done a nice job. His defense has been solid and he is currently slashing .239/310/.399 with 9 home runs and 31 runs driven in.

SF Giants may move on from Casey Schmitt despite solid year

Those numbers have dropped as of late as he has cooled off at the plate, but earlier in the season his numbers were in a better spot. He has done a lot right, but he may not be doing enough for the Giants to commit to him as their starting second baseman in 2026.

That is why he seems like a player who could potentially be dealt away in the offseason. 

He has shown off his power, but Schmitt has not proven to be a very high-contact player.  He has 63 strikeouts in 243 at-bats which is not completely terrible, but president of baseball operations Buster Posey has made putting the ball in play a greater point of emphasis.

The problem is that many of the players already locked in for next season, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Rafael Devers, and potentially top prospect Bryce Eldridge are all guys who strike out a lot and have a lot of swing and miss in their game.

Jung Hoo Lee is a high contact guy and Luis Matos has proven that he can consistently put the ball in play, but with how inconsistent the Giants have been on offense this year they may decide they need one more contact bat in the lineup.

Luis Arraez is going to be available this offseason and he is a guy who seemingly always has a high batting average and almost never strikes out. The only place to put him on the Giants would be at second base, though. That would force Schmitt out of a starting job there and the Giants already have Christian Koss as a backup infield option who can play anywhere and shares a very similar profile to a former Giants utility infielder. 

Maybe the Giants could capitalize on Schmitt’s solid season by dealing him to a team in need of an infielder. They probably wouldn’t get a ton for him, but there would not be a place on the roster for him if the Giants decided to upgrade at second base.

The Giants have to be largely pleased with how Schmitt has performed this season, but given the fact there are few spots in the lineup they can upgrade he could be a guy the team has to move on from even though the San Diego State product has done a lot of good things in 2025.

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