This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado¡¯s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The left side of the Giants¡¯ infield is set, with third baseman Matt Chapman and shortstop Willy Adames poised to form one of the best all-around duos in the game through the end of the decade. Second base appears covered, too, with Tyler Fitzgerald expected to move off short and slide over to the other side of the bag to accommodate Adames.

The infield picture is nearly complete, but there¡¯s still some uncertainty surrounding first base, which remains one of the Giants¡¯ biggest questions heading into 2025. LaMonte Wade Jr. is entering his final year of arbitration and was tendered a contract last month, but the Giants could still look to upgrade at the position this winter.

Wade, 30, has been an above-average hitter in three of his four seasons with the Giants and recorded a robust .380 on-base percentage over 117 games in 2024, which was tied for eighth among Major League players with at least 400 plate appearances. Still, he¡¯s dealt with persistent lower-body issues in recent years and saw a notable dip in his power numbers, with his home runs falling from 17 in 2023 to eight this past season.

Wade¡¯s platoon partner, Wilmer Flores, was also hampered by a nagging right knee injury that required a season-ending Tenex procedure in August. Flores, 33, ended the season batting only .206 with a .595 OPS and four homers, all of which were career lows for the 12-year veteran. Giants first basemen ultimately combined to hit only 14 home runs, which was tied for 28th in the Majors in 2024.

San Francisco added more punch to its lineup by bringing in Adames, who slugged a career-high 32 homers for the Brewers this past season, but it could use another power bat to potentially slot in at first base or designated hitter in 2025.

Pete Alonso is the top first baseman available on the free-agent market, but the Giants will likely want to avoid blocking No. 1 prospect Bryce Eldridge long-term. There are also a few trade targets who could draw their interest, including the Rays¡¯ Yandy D¨ªaz.

Wade has also been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, though president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian both praised his overall skill set at the Winter Meetings earlier this month.

¡°I really like LaMonte,¡± Minasian said. ¡°His ability to get on base is a special skill, and I think it¡¯s something highly valued in today¡¯s game. I think he¡¯s shown he¡¯s a very good defender over there. Personally, I¡¯m very comfortable with LaMonte. I feel Buster is, too. It¡¯s not going to stop us from looking at players at that position. We have a DH spot as well. We have some players with versatility. We¡¯ll keep looking, but personally, I¡¯m happy that LaMonte¡¯s here.¡±

Flores also remains in the fold for now, as he exercised his $3.5 million player option for 2025 in November. While he¡¯s coming off a down season, Flores is only a year removed from batting .284 with an .863 OPS and a team-high 23 homers over 126 games in 2023.

Manager Bob Melvin said Flores is progressing well in his rehab, stoking optimism that the Venezuelan infielder will be able to come into Spring Training without restrictions and bounce back from his disappointing showing this past season.

¡°I'm excited that he's excited right now about where he is physically,¡± Melvin said. ¡°We saw last year that that was not the same guy. Vintage Wilmer would be almost like adding another guy. He was not healthy enough to be himself last year. The year before, he was a terrific performer offensively.¡±