San Francisco Giants Boss Explains First Base Plans for Upcoming Season

The San Francisco Giants are going into spring training with a first base situation that will be familiar to fans.

Sep 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin (6) speaks with the media in the dugout before the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The Bryce Eldridge era can’t start soon enough for some San Francisco Giants fans. The top prospect can be the long-term solution at the position.

But, for now, it appears the Giants won’t be trying to push him into the job.

While on KNBR earlier this week, Giants manager Bob Melvin talked about the first base situation going into spring training. Eldridge, the organization’s No. 1 prospect, will be there as part of Major League spring training.

But it sounds like San Francisco will move ahead with two players that worked the position last year — LaMonte Wade Jr. and Wilmer Flores.

Melvin noted that it would be a platoon-type of situation.

"It looks like (it'll be) the tandem we had going into last season,” he said. “Unfortunately, Wilmer was never healthy enough to do what Wilmer does. Looking forward to him coming back and doing his thing. Both those guys understand the platoon situation and embrace it.”

Wade has been floated as a potential trade piece this offseason, but the Giants tendered him a deal in his last year of arbitration and avoided a hearing by signing him to a one-year offer sheet worth $5 million.

The 25-year-old is a solid player but doesn’t have the power that teams want at the position. He has a career slash line of .246/.351/.411/.762 but hasn’t hit more than 18 home runs in a career, which was back in 2021.

Flores, now 32 years old, can play three different infield positions. Various injuries limited him to 71 games last season, as he slashed .206/.277/.318/.595 with four home runs and 26 RBI.

He’s been a bit more consistent than Wade in the power department, as Flores has eight seasons of 10 or more home runs, with a high of 23 in 2023.

Last season Flores played in 56 games in first base while Wade logged 94 games at the position.

Given the contract situations with Flores and Wade, it’s not hard to see that the pair are placeholders for Eldridge. Both are free agents after the season and, with one more season in the minors, Eldridge could be ready to make his debut.

He played for San Jose, High-A Eugene, Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, exceling at every stop. He finished with a slash line of .291/.374/.516/.890 with 23 home runs and 92 RBI. He was also selected to play in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend.