PROVE IT TIME: Giants COULD BENEFIT from waiting on FREE AGENTS | Bryce Eldridge COULD start in AAA

Is the market finally proving the Giants right? In today’s episode, we dive into growing doubts around Tatsuya Imai’s price tag, why the Yankees appear to be out, and whether a short-term “prove it” deal—similar to Munetaka Murakami—could now be the reality. We also break down a group of underrated free agents flying under the radar, including Michael Kopech, Zach Eflin, and José Urquidy, and what they could offer contenders willing to gamble. Plus, we zoom out to the bigger picture: a slower-than-expected offseason, teams hesitating on long-term risk, and whether the Giants’ patience is actually creating leverage. Finally, we tackle a key internal question — is there any realistic path where Bryce Eldridge doesn’t start 2026 in the big leagues? What his brief MLB debut told us, why the Giants may still prefer Triple-A seasoning, and how that decision impacts potential external additions at first base or DH.

0:00 Waiting on Tatsuya Imai
9:36 Underrated Free Agents
20:49 Could Bryce Eldridge start in AAA?

#sfgiants #FirstListen #Giants #sanfranciscogiants #sanfrancisco #baseball #mlb #tennesseebaseball #tonyvitello #freeagency #mlbfreeagency #mlbtraderumors #japanesebaseball #kbo #junghoolee #jtrealmuto #kyleschwarber #kyletucker #codybellinger #mlbdraft #ketelmarte #nicohoerner #tatsuyaimai #bryceeldridge #bobichette

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