SAN FRANCISCO — The biggest news to come out of the Giants’ first FanFest stop on Saturday involved a jersey number.
Bryce Eldridge walked around in No. 8, a choice inspired by two of the Virginia native’s favorite athletes: Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The number was made famous in San Francisco by Hunter Pence, and it is much more appropriate for a potential franchise cornerstone than the No. 78 he wore during a September call-up.
If all goes according to plan, Giants fans once again will be able to buy a No. 8 jersey comfortably and wear it for years to come. But at times this offseason, Eldridge was reminded that you can never plan too far ahead.
Because of Eldridge’s status as a top prospect and the fact that the Giants also have Rafael Devers at first base, it was easy for some writers and fans to throw his name into trade rumors over the offseason. Giants officials heard all the outside noise, and Buster Posey even addressed the smoke at the Winter Meetings.
For Eldridge, this was all brand new. He’s just two years removed from the draft and said he did his best to avoid the rumors.
“I try not to get too wrapped up in anything going on,” he said Saturday. “I think when you get to a point in the offseason, people need stuff to talk about, whether they know what’s true and what’s not. I don’t know how far those talks got, but I want to be here, I want to play for this team and I don’t plan on leaving here anytime soon.
“I hope they don’t plan on making me leave anytime soon. I want to be here for a long time.”
While Eldridge and Devers play the same position, swing from the same side and have similar levels of defensive experience at first base, the Giants don’t view the duplication as a problem. For an organization that’s been starved for offense in recent years, this is potentially their best shot at building a dangerous long-term heart of the order, and that’s how Eldridge views it.
His first goal this spring, though, is simply to make the Opening Day roster, and that shouldn’t be too much of an uphill climb after a quiet offseason for the front office. Entering his second big league camp, Eldridge also should be much better positioned to hit the ground running.
A wrist injury sidelined him for most of last spring and the start of the season, but Eldridge had a bone spur removed this offseason and is in his final week of rehab. He’ll be 100 percent by the time position players report in three weeks, and he’s looking forward to swinging at full strength.
“Some days were better than others,” he said of 2025. “It was definitely mentally challenging, too, just knowing I’ve got to go up there and I didn’t feel 100 percent for most of the year. It gives me confidence, knowing what I was able to do (without) feeling my best especially on an upper-body injury. You kind of need that to swing the bat.”
Eldridge was one of three position players at the first FanFest stop, and two had eerily similar winters. Starting second baseman Casey Schmitt had the same surgery, which was needed after he got hit by a pitch in June, and he has had to deal with months of speculation that the Giants will bring in a veteran at second base.
The second base discussions — mostly centered around Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs — are much more real than the early Eldridge rumors. If a trade happens, the front office plans to play Schmitt in a utility role, but for now he’s training at second base and said he dropped about 10 pounds this winter to gain a bit of quickness defensively.
Eldridge and Schmitt spent the weekend with new manager Tony Vitello, but Vitello said he didn’t feel the need to try and reassure either player. His message to all of his young players has been to “be as present as possible” and just focus on what’s ahead of them in 2026.
While Schmitt has dealt with trade rumors before, this was a fresh experience for the 21-year-old Eldridge, but Vitello said he’s not concerned. He said Eldridge is built for MLB not just physically, but with his personality.
“It’s been fun to see his excitement level,” Vitello said.
If Vitello had gotten his way, Eldridge would have played for him at Tennessee. The powerful prospect instead chose the draft, but he had some friends at Tennessee and said they loved playing for Vitello.
After a winter filled with rehab and rumors, Eldridge smiled Saturday as he sat at a table in downtown San Jose and signed cards while talking to reporters. He’s still a Giant, and he’s ready to finally get a chance to play for Vitello.
“Now we’re working together,” he said. “I think we’re going to be a pretty good team.”
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