The Giants and shortstop Willy Adames are in settlement on a seven-year $182MM contract in response to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that talks between the perimeters had been “selecting up steam.” Passan provides that the CAA Sports activities shopper will obtain a $22MM signing bonus as a part of the contract, which is the most important in Giants historical past, surpassing Buster Posey’s eight-year, $159MM pact with the membership.
Adames, 29, was the highest shortstop out there in the marketplace this winter and goes to a crew that has been candid about its need to improve on the place this winter. They’ve now executed so by bringing in one of many league’s steadiest gamers on either side of the ball to deal with the place.
Adames has been price a minimum of 3.1 fWAR and three.0 bWAR in every of his 5 full, 162-game seasons within the majors because of that consistency. A profession 109 wRC+ hitter who slashed a robust .251/.331/.462 (119 wRC+) with Milwaukee in 2024, the addition of Adames as a middle-of-the-order bat ought to assist enhance a Giants offense that managed only a 98 wRC+ final yr.
Whereas San Francisco’s 112 wRC+ at shortstop final yr a robust determine, a lot of that manufacturing was because of multi-positional bat Tyler Fitzgerald, who took over the place down the stretch however was a lackluster defender with a -4 in Outs Above Common final yr. Adames was solely price a +1 determine by OAA final yr however posted glorious +16 and +10 figures within the metric in 2022 and ’23 and ought to be a significant improve to the membership’s protection who types a dynamic tandem with third baseman Matt Chapman on the left facet of the infield. That mixture of above-average offense and protection at a premium place on the diamond was sufficient to make Adames the #5 ranked free agent on MLBTR’s annual Prime 50 MLB Free Brokers listing final month, the place we predicted a six-year $160MM deal for the shortstop.
Adames managed to prime that prediction by one yr and $22MM, which isn’t essentially a significant shock given the skinny infield market and Adames’s wide selection of suitors. The Yankees, Phillies, Astros, Braves, Blue Jays, and Pink Sox had been all linked to Adames in current weeks, and a handful of these suitors had been seemingly drawn in by his willingness to maneuver off of shortstop as a way to facilitate a deal. That made him a very enticing choice for golf equipment just like the Yankees and Astros, for whom a possible place change made Adames an fascinating “Plan B” choice ought to they fail to re-sign incumbent sluggers Juan Soto and Alex Bregman given their obvious consolation with incumbent shortstop Anthony Volpe and Jeremy Pena.
In the end, nonetheless, Adames has landed with a membership that figures to play him at shortstop each day. Fitzgerald, who slashed .280/.334/.497 (132 wRC+) in 96 video games with the membership final yr, appears more likely to be in line for the lion’s share of taking part in time at second base now that he’s been got rid of of shortstop but in addition has expertise at first base and within the outfield that would theoretically result in a multi-positional function if wanted. With former prime prospect Marco Luciano in addition to children like Heliot Ramos, Luis Matos, and Grant McCray more likely to affect the membership’s outfield combine subsequent yr alongside incumbents Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski, it’s not inconceivable to think about the addition of Adames leaving the membership kind of set on the positional facet.
Even when San Francisco doesn’t make additional additions to their hitting corps, questions stay about their plans for the rest of the offseason. Reporting has beforehand indicated that the membership plans to enter 2025 with a decrease payroll than 2024, and RosterResource signifies that signing Adames has left the membership with a projected payroll of $180MM for 2025. That’s $26MM beneath their closing estimate for the 2024 season, which might be per a discount in payroll if the membership didn’t make further strikes. The Giants have additionally featured prominently within the rumor mill for beginning pitching this winter, nonetheless, and had been linked to prime free agent starter Corbin Burnes simply final week.
Signing Burnes along with Adames would certainly push their payroll to and even past 2024 ranges, which might recommend both a reversal relating to their payroll plans or an intention to chop wage elsewhere, maybe by buying and selling a participant akin to Yastrzemski or first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. It’s additionally price noting that the Giants are forfeited their second- and fifth-highest draft picks (in addition to $100K in worldwide bonus pool cash) as a way to signal Adames. That would make the membership hesitant to signal an extra certified free agent like Burnes as a way to protect their remaining draft capital, or it’s doable that San Francisco may very well be emboldened to make one other certified signing as a result of the draft penalty turns into comparatively less-severe on further signings. For instance, signing Burnes would now value the Giants solely their second- and fifth-highest picks in subsequent yr’s draft after accounting for the picks forfeited to signal Adames, which means they’d really be giving up what had been really their third- and seventh-highest alternatives within the draft initially of the offseason.
