Bryce Eldridge is at the heart of the Giants' trade deadline plans

The San Francisco Giants know where their future lies.

Bryce Eldridge is set to be the biggest slugger in the Bay Area in a couple of decades, and so as the trade deadline approaches, he's at the heart of their plans.

No, it's not about trading Eldridge.

It's about clearing the runway for this special, left-handed power bat.

"The San Francisco Giants, who would love to trade two of their infielders at the trade deadline, need to clear space for power-hitter Bryce Eldridge," USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote as part of a new article on Sunday. "They realize it’s stunting his growth as an infielder to keep using him as a DH at the age of 21."

Eldridge is only going to be a first baseman, but it's definitely fair for the Giants to want him to get real work at that spot sooner rather than later.

At the moment, Rafael Devers gets most of the starts at first. Devers has experience at third, although it's not necessarily an advisable move to get him back to the hot corner anytime soon.

The other three Giants infielders are all trade candidates. Luis Arraez seems the most likely to move, and also the simplest thanks to a cheap contract.

Matt Chapman and Willy Adames are both on big deals, so trading them could be a lot harder.

Even if a couple move, the Giants will still have to figure out what to do with Eldridge vs. Devers -- unless they trade Devers, which would also be tough because of his contract.

It's clear from this Nightengale report, though, that Eldridge is the guy the Giants are focused on. They know they need to maximize his future. In the meantime, any moves they make should be geared toward getting their Eldridge plan right.

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