Giants Baseball Insider

Proposed Giants Trade With Diamondbacks Would Provide Steady First Base Fix

The San Francisco Giants have needed a fix for their first base woes for some time now and should keep their eye on this potential Arizona Diamondbacks target.
May 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first base Josh Naylor (22) runs the bases after hitting  a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Chase Field.
May 26, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first base Josh Naylor (22) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at Chase Field. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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The San Francisco Giants need a new answer at first base, for now, and should be monitoring the trade market as the deadline continues to get closer.

One potential answer could be revealing himself as the Arizona Diamondbacks steer towards becoming sellers.

The Diamondbacks are already six games out of a Wild Card spot and have virtually no chance in the NL West, not to mention the fact that they just lost their $210 million ace for the year in Corbin Burnes.

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The Giants should approach Arizona with an offer of right-handed pitcher Trevor McDonald and infielder Robert Hipwell for first baseman Josh Naylor.

It's a win-win trade that gets the Diamondbacks back a similar return to what they gave up to get him from the Cleveland Guardians in the first place and then a more reliable bat at first base for San Francisco.

Naylor was an All-Star last year and has backed that up with a solid start to the 2025 campaign. His power has taken a slight step back, but that has been made up for with an increase in average. He has the exact same OPS as he finished last year with (at the time of writing).

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The 28-year-old has posted a .283/.338/.438 slash line with seven home runs and nine stolen bases. A 20/20 guy at first would be a valuable add to this current lineup.

He has also been reliably above average for some time, with an OPS+ of at least 117 dating back to 2022, which was his breakout year.

First base has plagued the Giants this season. LaMonte Wade Jr. had a disappointing .167/.275/.271 slash line over his first 50 games and was just traded to the Los Angeles Angels.

Free agent pickup Dominic Smith has looked fine, but not sustainable for a postseason run.

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Many want San Francisco to just go ahead and call up Bryce Eldridge, but that is also risky. He has been a fun player since his return from injury and just got called up to Triple-A Sacramento, but had a rocky start to his promotion.

Eldridge smashed a grand slam in his first game, but he has slashed just .176/.318/.353 overall in his first five games. He could still easily turn it around and impress, but placing all hope for a position in the postseason on a rushed prospect is a big risk.

That's why trading a solid pitching prospect and a bat with upside makes sense for a rental at the position.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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