The Giants officially have their new shortstop. San Francisco finalized their seven-year, $182MM contract with Willy Adames this afternoon. The CAA client will be introduced at Oracle Park on Thursday. The deal, which is the largest in Giants history, reportedly contains a $22MM signing bonus and a full no-trade clause. There is no deferred money on the contract. Adames will make $10MM in the first two seasons of the deal and $28MM in the final five.
Adames, 29, was the top shortstop available on the market this winter and goes to a team that has been candid about its desire to upgrade at the position this winter. They’ve now done so by bringing in one of the league’s steadiest players on both sides of the ball to handle the position.
Adames has been worth at least 3.1 fWAR and 3.0 bWAR in each of his five full, 162-game seasons in the majors thanks to that consistency. A career 109 wRC+ hitter who slashed a strong .251/.331/.462 (119 wRC+) with Milwaukee in 2024, the addition of Adames as a middle-of-the-order bat should help improve a Giants offense that managed just a 98 wRC+ last year.
While San Francisco’s 112 wRC+ at shortstop last year a strong figure, much of that production was thanks to multi-positional bat Tyler Fitzgerald, who took over the position down the stretch but was a lackluster defender with a -4 in Outs Above Average last year. Adames was only worth a +1 figure by OAA last year but posted excellent +16 and +10 figures in the metric in 2022 and ’23 and should be a major upgrade to the club’s defense who forms a dynamic tandem with third baseman Matt Chapman on the left side of the infield. That combination of above-average offense and defense at a premium position on the diamond was enough to make Adames the #5 ranked free agent on MLBTR’s annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list last month, where we predicted a six-year $160MM deal for the shortstop.
Adames managed to top that prediction by one year and $22MM, which isn’t necessarily a major shock given the thin infield market and Adames’s wide range of suitors. The Yankees, Phillies, Astros, Braves, Blue Jays, and Red Sox were all linked to Adames in recent weeks, and a handful of those suitors were seemingly drawn in by his willingness to move off of shortstop in order to facilitate a deal. That made him a particularly attractive option for clubs like the Yankees and Astros, for whom a potential position change made Adames an interesting “Plan B” option should they fail to re-sign incumbent sluggers Juan Soto and Alex Bregman given their apparent comfort with incumbent shortstop Anthony Volpe and Jeremy Pena.
Ultimately, however, Adames has landed with a club that figures to play him at shortstop on a daily basis. Fitzgerald, who slashed .280/.334/.497 (132 wRC+) in 96 games with the club last year, seems likely to be in line for the lion’s share of playing time at second base now that he’s been bumped off of shortstop but also has experience at first base and in the outfield that could theoretically lead to a multi-positional role if needed. With former top prospect Marco Luciano as well as youngsters like Heliot Ramos, Luis Matos, and Grant McCray likely to impact the club’s outfield mix next year alongside incumbents Jung Hoo Lee and Mike Yastrzemski, it’s not impossible to imagine the addition of Adames leaving the club more or less set on the positional side.
Even if San Francisco doesn’t make further additions to their hitting corps, questions remain about their plans for the remainder of the offseason. Reporting has previously indicated that the club plans to enter 2025 with a lower payroll than 2024, and RosterResource indicates that signing Adames has left the club with a projected payroll of $180MM for 2025. That’s $26MM below their final estimate for the 2024 season, which would be consistent with a reduction in payroll if the club didn’t make additional moves. The Giants have also featured prominently in the rumor mill for starting pitching this winter, however, and were connected to top free agent starter Corbin Burnes just last week.
Signing Burnes in addition to Adames would surely push their payroll to or even beyond 2024 levels, which would suggest either a reversal regarding their payroll plans or an intention to cut salary elsewhere, perhaps by trading a player such as Yastrzemski or first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. It’s also worth noting that the Giants are forfeiting their second- and fifth-highest draft picks (as well as $1MM in international bonus pool money) in order to sign Adames. That could make the club hesitant to sign an additional qualified free agent like Burnes in order to preserve their remaining draft capital, or it’s possible that San Francisco could be emboldened to make another qualified signing because the draft penalty becomes relatively less-severe on additional signings. For example, signing Burnes would now cost the Giants only their second- and fifth-highest picks in next year’s draft after accounting for the picks forfeited to sign Adames, meaning they would actually be giving up what were actually their third- and seventh-highest selections in the draft at the start of the offseason.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the Giants and Adames had agreed to a seven-year, $182MM deal that included a $22MM signing bonus. Susan Slusser of the Francisco Chronicle initially reported the sides were making progress. Robert Murray of FanSided reported the no-trade clause and the absence of deferrals. Slusser also first reported the specific annual breakdown.
Now this is some news I wanted to see today
Padres fan tipping my cap to the Giants. Great signing!
How have those long term big money contracts for shortstops been working out so far?
I mean, Lindor and Seager have been pretty good.
Seager has been great. It took time for Lindor to feel comfortable but let’s see if it continues. He’s a great player so I expect it will but I think SF had to overpay to land Adames. I think the value is a bit high and seven years a bit long. They needed though to be aggressive before the teams who don’t sign Soto pivot elsewhere.
Understand your doubts but Adamas is a hitter first and he can easily move to third as he age
Tough park to hit in for a right, but worth the gamble.
Supply and demand. He’s cheaper and better than Xander. Probably same tier as Dansby. Way better than Baez. Half the price of Turner. So inflation. Non contender expensive place to live it’s a solid contract. And again who would you pivot to if you missed him.
Lindor has been great.
So far so good in regards to Dansby Swanson.
spudchukar: Except that they also have Chapman locked up for the next six years.
Yeah, but he’s not going to be doing that with Chapman at 3B.,
@spud are you saying sf is hard to hit in for a rhb? Cause if so that’s wrong, it’s the lefties that it’s hard on
@metsin4 True. It was a ridiculous signing when they had Giminez, who has put up 90% of Lindor’s production over 2022-2024 for about 10% of the salary, but Lindor is on a rail to the Hall of Fame after his last three seasons.
Still, if Stearns had been in Queens in 2021 (or any competent GM, really, had been there) the Mets would have an average of around $23m extra each year to spend over the ten years of Lindor’s extension while getting nearly all of his production from Giminez—who will probably end up outproducing Lindor over the decade they’re with their respective teams..
Swanson’s .255/.321/.415 may be ok, but at that salary?
JackStrawb: *GIMENEZ. It’s easy to look up to verify and respect the player by correctly spelling his name.
YourDreamGM: Way better than Dansby.
If Swanson couldn’t run and played 2b lf those numbers wouldn’t be worth the salary.
who isn’t better than Baez?
@avenger65 If you say so. I don’t want to put enough thought into it to agree or disagree. If you wanted more power you probably lean one way and if you value base running defense you go the other way. Same tier though. Good not great 300m guys. Way better seems like a stretch though.
At least it’s not the dodgers
Batting title, All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, second in MVP, 30-30. Decent first year since Bobby Witt signed.
Solid playrr, always been overrated tho
Maybe but he had also been bad before and blamed ballparks, a little worrying
Better than Dansby by quite a bit, though Swanson may have the better glove (not arm).
spudchukar — As he ages Adames could play 2b or 1b, maybe to the OF. Chapman is entrenched at third. Giants just made a very smart signing.
My cat, FELIX can’t hit, but he can chase balls. Oh, wait, Baez can’t hit either.
As he ages? He is already there
Lindors “down” transisition to the mets is very overblown
Actually Oracle Park has a short porch to right field. It’s hard on LH. Adames should be fine
Big money big money
No whammy
STOP!
Yup and Javier’s. Adames is only 29 and he was predicted to land 6 years 160. Giants overpaid a little bit he’ll fit in good. They were looking for an impact player to help spark up the team like Pence did for them.
Only mention Baez when referring to clowns.
@Jack Gimine hit .252 with 9 HRs for 4 WAR. Lindor 33 HRs .272 for 6.9 WAR. He’s not even close to Lindor’s production.
Not to mention Lindor is a far more recognized name and exponentially more marketable. Lindor likely brings in much more revenue for Mets annually then his contract costs them.
That’s why Stearns is a GM of a billion # franchise and you re here spewing B.S. that’s not even true.
@tigers Exactly, gimenez isnt even close to lindor. He had one very good (what looks like a career?) year in 2022. Even w that, last three seasons his WAR is <65% of lindor, and last two seasons only half bc hes become a below avg bat w great defense. In other words, a utility player. Still young and may be able to turn it around, but he doesnt even compare to lindor right now. Plus his defensive numbers are at 2b so who knows if he’d maintain that elite D at SS.
Cal Ripken did okay
Lindor has had his share of ups and downs too over the last few years. Great last season though.
Correa has worked out for the Twins.
Correa? One decent year, one awful year, and another year where he missed half the season. He hasnt worked out well at all
He’s never had an awful season in his career. He’s hit about .275 with the Twins and played excellent defense.
Carlos correa? 2020 and 2023 were awful years, and 2023 particularly for the contract, which was the point of the post.
@Ma Correa definitely was not worth his contract in either of those years. For the Twins tho he has played great in 2 of the 3 years when he was available.
Being available is paramount tho, all the talent in the world doesn’t produce from bench or IL. If he stay on the field he very well could put up production more in line with his contract.
When healthy or not he has name recognition and is marketable. That alone has value. Obviously being injured and nit producing works against those, but as of now he still brings in revenue.
@togers Exactly… im jot saying hes a bad player, im saying for a guy being paid like a superstar, he hasnt earned his money. Even that first year (which was technically a separate contract) it didnt earn the money. He had a great april and sept and was bad 2/3 of the year. WAR can be misleading, its an aggregate stat and doesnt take streakiness into account. Plus if someones WAR is driven more by defense, theyre less valuable than the war driven by offense.
But bottom line, if youre missing lots of games, you hurt the team.
i think you should look more closely. his ‘down year’ when he came to the mets was precipitated by a league wide drop in production. Lindor has ALWAYS been elite, even in a ‘down year’
yea but whens he get on the field… its joke relax
He’s 29, will soon be unable to play SS and can’t move to 3B because Chapman is there. Short-term fix, long-term headache. And watch his numbers not measure up.
Not really
Towinagain, you’re a good man, and a true ‘baseball’ fan.
Quote from an article on this signing.
“It wasn’t a great season for Adames in the field, as he had -16 Defensive Runs Saved and 0 Outs Above Average in 1406.1 innings at shortstop. However, in 2022 and 2023, Adames had 17 DRS and 26 OAA in 2481.2 innings at the position.”
This contract might not look so good if that decline continues.
More likely it points to how bad defensive stats are
no no no only soto plays poor defense. Ohtani doesn’t have to, but Soto… lol
lindor v ohtani mvp race proves people don’t care about defense
Congratulations, he’s a good pickup.
Yup, I tip my hat to the Giants. Solid move.
Great signing, but I expect his offense to slightly go down with the shift in home parks.
Agreed, though he will probably see a nice bump in his Doubles. I expect him to be challenged to reach 25 Hrs playing in SF. Might hit for a higher average too
@ Blin7y in my opinion he will hit a lot of LFOs.
I predict 175 strike out season
BLIN7Y –
Not at all. It’s lefties that are diminished hitting in Oracle—and even that isn’t as bad as it used to be. (It’s the winds more than the fences.)
And take a look at the graphic recently released that shows where Adames’ HRs would have been had he played last year in SF. He’ll be fine.
Same thing people said about Chapman
Homers will probably go down but double and triples will go up.
Good signing for the Giants. As for the Yankees, I hope this puts even more pressure on Steinbrenner not to be outbid for Soto since a major backup piece is off the table.
Yankees are a bit hobbled it appears
Great, now Baez 2.0 and Kluber 2.0 are off the market. Next up, Juan Gonzalez 2.0
Jeesh, bad contracts be reining from the sky up here.
Juan gonzalez?
Yup, Soto is Juan Gonzalez 2.0
Raining.
First top tier name off the board! Curious what the contract will look like.
Probably just digital, signed using DocuSign…
Blake Snell isn’t top tier?
Only 2 Cy Youngs. Totally second rate.
Well most the other years werent much
Yes, every five years.
Not that he’s not top tier but when the Amazon or Walmart of baseball makes an acquisition it just isn’t news.
Another clown
Maybe he means position player.
I forgot that he went to the Dodgers lol, any player that goes there just exits my mind until the regular season.
Probably a bunch of text on an 8.5×11 sheet of paper.
8.5×14
I don’t like legal paper. But signing on the dotting line for that kind of money would be worth it!
But what font?
Comic sans maybe?
Does anybody else think you guys are funny besides yourselves.
I will admit I chuckled. And rolled my eyes which negates the chuckle.
i am thinking wingdings since he is wiley. 🙂 <3
Gothic
Brick from the Middle can answer the font question.
Biggest contract in SF history at 7/182mm
Well, biggest one they didn’t back out on.
It’s not like Correa has been the pinnacle of health.
To be fair, it’s pending physical. The physical is when they’d back out.
@Ketch It was a wise move. Lest we forget, even the free-spending NYCohens backed out of a more team-friendly deal than the Giants did.
All mega contracts come with inherent risks, but Correa remains an ultra-high risk player, health-wise, at least as far as non-pitchers go…
That’s a big LOL
Stove is Hot!
jhonny: Stoves tend to heat up when they’re powered on.
I just burned my house down 🙁
Good deal.
Yep good deal for Adames.
They would want to hope his fielding improves from 2024.
Chapman’s range will help Adames’ defense. Very happy both are Giants. Fitzgerald will compete with Unlucky Luciano at 2B. If Luciano is not traded in the meantime.
Trading Luciano now would be selling low. He just turned 23. He and Ramos are different players, but in Ramos’ age 23 season he posted a 46 OPS+. I wouldn’t give up on Luciano.
We’ll see Jean. He has regressed as a hitter and wasn’t good defensively at all. He hurt the Giants most of the time he played last year. But as I said in another post Luciano is young enough to still figure it out. Needs to figure it out before too long because his stock has dropped and could be headed even lower. Would be great if he figured it out while subbing for an injured player like Ramos did last year.
I’ve heard veteran players say that young players think they have to be perfect when getting to MLB. That leads to errors. Once a player is able to relax and settle in they’re much better. I think that’s the case with Luciano. If he was truly the ham-fisted fielder he appeared to be, he would have been moved off SS a long time ago. And that bad fielding is from a small sample. I think they have to stick with him for another two seasons minimum.
On the board!!!!
now its him and Nick Ramirez
Me too!!
Let’s Go!
I’m sure the Giants aren’t done making moves either. Buster is clearly serious about bringing that winning culture back to that franchise.
Craven,
If he was really serious, he would not allowed Snell to escape to L.A. my opinion.
Wrong.
Craven. Right or wrong Snell shouldn’t have called himself a healthy scratch in his final start last year. Knowing how Posey ticks, Snell basically said the Giants were out of his mix just for that gesture alone. I’m sure Posey and the Giants wrote him off after that. And rightly so. The way his whole season started out late, out of shape and pitched like crap in games the Giants were in need of winning. Then an injury that took him out of more games. The Giants got an awful return on him and then he quits his last game. He was gone as far as Posey was concerned.
As a brewer fan, hate to see him go, but we were never affording that (nor do I think we should, especially in the last 2 years of that deal). Wish Willy well, except when he plays us!
Agreed 100%, Great acquisition when our Brewers got him, and he really developed. If he can continue hitting 250, Giants got one hell of a player on the field, and in the clubhouse.
Joey Ortiz?
Thanks. And it’s an underrated issue but “clubhouse guy” is really important to the Gianta and us fans. They already have some great character guys in the clubhouse.(Wilmer in a quiet way, Chapman, Ramos, Webb, Yaz and now Adames.) And that’s exactly what Buster Posey was about before retiring.
Is there currently a Brewer’s prospect who’s projected to be Adames’s replacement this season or next? Or is this season going to be a rotation of utility guys?
I believe Brice Turang is a SS primarily but didn’t play there due to Adames
Shockingly good defense, and outperforned Adames in 2024 by bWAR.
Ortiz will shift to SS — Turang won platinum glove at 2B so he won’t move.
Adames had great intangibles — played every day, clubhouse leader, mentored Chourio.
And how many wins did those intangibles get the Brewers ?
Joey Ortiz may move from 3rd to Shortstop. Or he could stay where he is. Depends on what they can get to fill either of the positions. Yes, Turang is a natural Shortstop, but so is Ortiz. I don’t think they’re going to move their platinum glove player. But it does give them options.
Joey Ortiz was picked up last year in the Burnes deal for this inevitable event. Sal Frelick began learning 3B last spring and will be working there all off season. Leaving OF of Mitchell, Churio, Yelich, and Perkins. Meaning Yelich will normally DH
Terrible signing for SF
Care to explain?
3 bWAR player in 2023 and 2024, turning 29, defense took a giant step backwards in 2024 and that may well be partly real.
Unless you find fWAR more agreeable, in which case Adames just had a career year.
As a Brewers fan who watched most of his games Adames’ defense will not be something to concern Giants fans. He tends to be overall agressive when hitting, chases early in the count looking for HR. So does much better better against sP’s with lower velocity, and with men on base, so knows the fastball is coming. Weird record to hold but hit the most 3 run HR in MLB history last year. Biggest thing he brings is that he is the BEST clubhouse person I have ever seen. He is friends with all teamates, opponents, and umpires, minus Winker.
Adames “defense took a giant step backwards in 2024” due to several errors that should have been attributed to a lousy 1B named Hoskins.
Great point. People forget how big a role 1B plays in team defense. I remember a few decades ago when the Met’s signed Mo Vaughan, who was not a good 1B defensively. The Met’s went from having the best team defense in MLB the previous year, to being the worst once Vaughan was signed.
Stick to music, which is in damn good taste, I have to say.
How did the giants of all teams actually sign him I thought they were always only linked to players
Let’s wait for the physical…
You must be thinking of the Red Sox.
I feel sorry for people who just think what the media tells them, without paying attention to reality
Finally I get a FA signing correct!
That’s a lot of money for 25 homers and a .230 ba.
Buster Posey isn’t much better than Zaidi.
Hater,leave discussion!
.250 and over 30 HRs would say otherwise bud
Still wouldn’t be worth it.
Until he plays in plays in San Fran. That 30 will go down. His defense already has.
True but his Home Park is Homer Friendly. Lot of balls he hit at home won’t be going out in SF. He also has a upper cut type swing so his HR’s are towering shots that might just get to the warning track in the SF night air. We will see
He hit 18 HR at home, 14 on the road. I don’t think the Giants are worried about it. I’m certainly not.
Some guys just make it so easy to “Mute.”
Yeah, and don’t forget the stolen bases and the above average defense. Giants are actually getting much faster. (Chapman, Lee, Adames, Ramos, Fitzgerald, McCray, Wisely—all can motor.)
I don’t think a 32 year old Chapman is fast… you can steal bases and not be extremely fast for instance Freddie freeman stole 20 last season
Lee and Ramos were average when I saw them play
Lee and Ramos haven’t played together. Ramos didn’t come up until after Lee was hurt. Ramos came up BECAUSE Lee got hurt.
*over .250 bud, with 112 RBI
Defensively he was good for 0 outs above average and -16 defensive runs saved with 20 errors last year. I wonder if they will switch him and Chapman
8 errors within 3 weeks skewed that number in a big way. He was playing through an injury at the time. I don’t think his defense just vanished all of a sudden.
Great context that I was unaware of. Thanks!
wineguy —
And even then Willy was considered an above average defender.
Very much what I expected. Giants had the biggest need at SS and the most money to spend.
And the Yankees… do nothing.
But but Soto is narrowing down the teams that he wants to play for.
@Joe
Always read your comments alongside YBC and Yankee Clipper amongst others as the Yankee fans with intelligence. Where are your thoughts with Soto? I’d worried that he’ll end up being Stanton 2.0. And at the time I thought Stanton was a good if expensive signing…
I’ve not really been in favor of signing Soto. Yes he’s a great hitter but there’s a roster construction problem with him on the Yankees. Judge needs to be in right, not center. I also think it will tie up too much of the roster budget when there are several holes to fill. We all can agree that the Yankees can spend more but the reality is they won’t. Then again maybe I’m just going into cope mode because he’s going to sign with the Mets.
Soto will be fantastic for at least the next 5 years no matter where he plays.
That being said, I suspect he will end up changing his swing over time as he hits a lot of High strike FB’s or pitches just above the zone. As he ages he may have difficulty getting to that pitch.
Agree with you about Clip and YBC—- and you as well.
Joe, I’m with you on this. I don’t see that you can have two DHs. There’s too much missing defensively in the infield, agree Judge should be RF (and I think Judge is a proper Yankee, a Munson if you like) and I’d prefer to spread the pennies across the board.
Keep in mind that the Yanks have $81 coming off the books in the amount they paid Soto, Rizzo, Torres, Holmes, Verdugo, etc.
$81 mil
-$50 mil for Soto
-$30 mil for Freid
Figure another.$40 mil above last years payroll, to address 1b, 2b if they go the FA or big trade route, more if they can move Stroman.
A’sfaninLondonUK, Just to nitpick, Stanton was a trade acquisition, not a signing. The Yanks inherited the extension that the Marlins signed him to. The Cards and Giants dodged a bullet, since Stanton vetoed trades to those teams before they settled with the Yanks.
@Joe…don’t poop on me, but has there ever been any chatter about moving Judge to 1st? First base is a hole at the moment. I do understand he is a very capable outfielder, but that big body is going to break down much sooner rather than later. He’s definitely athletic enough to handle the job and that big body would be a dream for any infielder to see across the diamond.
The Winter Meetings didn’t even start. 98% of the league has done nothing.
Where’s Yogi Berra when you need him?
Yogi is still telling us that the future ain’t what it used to be. And he’s still right.
This deja vu all over again!
Well…all the Jays fans are celebrating the latest coach and executive signing…
Yankees are probably cutting payroll
I’m waiting for the medical record to come back, off to the Mets, and then off to the twins
And the total price gets lower each time.
Dominoes about to start falling quick…
I hope they treat him like Adames family.
He’s gonna hit .220 playing half his games in San Fran. He’ll still hit his 20+ bombs, but his numbers aren’t gonna match the deal.
Jealous much!
He’s dead right.
except he’s hit for a .321 average in SF in his career. So, dead wrong.
SSS
@Lindors…
Meanwhile, your declaration that he’s “dead right” is based on NoSampleSize. Lol.
Athletes generally get better after 30 though…
If Chapman can hit .247 in SF, there’s no way Adames hits for a lower avg
Its a fine signing but adames is not likely to produce better tha he alread has
Horrible take. The porch isn’t too far in LF in Oracle, it’s RF with the deepest dimensions and high wall. Still good for 30+ HR
Horrible take the 13 people and counting agree with.
Nice, I had him going to Braves, but now I think Kim goes there.
Agreed. AA got way more mileage than he should have in trying to convince the fan base that Arcia is a legit everyday option out there. I wonder if SF might loan out Chapman to play SS for ATL until Kim is ready?
Holy overpay
Not in this market.
.236 ave over the last 3 years and 108 OPS+ and a negative dWAR last year….GLWT
Let me fix the context for you:
He’s been averaging 3.5+ war per year for the past three years.
The neg defense was from an 8 errors in 3 week blip while playing through an injury.
Also, here’s the short list of most SS home runs since 2019:
Francisco Lindor: 145
Willy Adames: 140
Corey Seager: 138
That stretch would be included in any projection but so do the years where he was an above average SS. His glove is likely fine. Even if he’s closer to average with the glove, with his bat, that’s a good player.
Maybe a slight over pay but likely just the new market norms.
After finished 2nd for their target FA’s over and over again I think Buster made the right call. Get it done before Soto signs and the bidding from the teams that lost out on him turn to Adames and it goes even higher.
If he was overpaid, it wasn’t as much as some are thinking, maybe 10-15 million overall. His contract looked crazy at first, but looking at the numbers, I don’t think it really is. I think the value of a 1 WAR in projection in 2025 money looks around 11 million or so for free agents, especially when they projection to be regulars or better. I know people use lower numbers, but I think the number is closer to 11 than say the 8 many people still use. Maybe I’m off, but looking at what is getting handed out, I don’t think so.
Adames “defense took a giant step backwards in 2024” due to several errors that should have been attributed to a lousy 1B named Hoskins.
Happy for Giants fans. This is a game changer for the franchise. The tired narrative must be re-written.
The Giants don’t have any players who can hit over .250 BA.
How is my narrative?
Don’t cloud the issue with facts.
Heliot, Fitzgerald, and lamonte wade all hit over .250 last year. Chapman can, probably not though. JH Lee probably could have, but I’m not sure he’ll be the same after the labrum tear
The narrative I had in mind was the one about San Fran not being able to attract free agents.
Lindor’s Bodyguard, How very insightful, since BA is such a good stat to emphasize. Pure ignorance.
And besides that you’re wrong as well. Last season they had 5 guys, with at least 100 ABs, that hit .250 or better. Looking at a more useful stat, they had 8 guys with at least 100 ABs, with 110 OPS+ or better.
Ramos, Fitzgerald, Wade, Adames all hit over .250 this year. Nice try
Only reason I’m happy about this as a Dodgers fan is that it’s a prediction I got right. LOL
There you go Giants
Swinging and connecting
Jon Heyman reporting the Giants close to signing Willy Aflames.
per heyman, giants make room on the roster by releasing michael conflagration
Since it wasn’t Heyman saying Wally Adames, guess it is true.
Congrats, Giants fans.
Buster getting it done thank you!!
You gotta change your handle man!
How bout, formerly frugalfarhan?
Or, BustersTheMan
Yes to Busters the Man!
Change to busterbluster
fillabuster
bustacapinyou
busterrhymes
featherbuster
colonelbustard
mrsbusterworth
Buster Brown
Buster Posey is going to the out to be the best acquisition the Giants made….. again. Congrats to you guys, I think he’s going to make a big difference.
I dont.
Who asked you?
Grats Balk and SF fans in general, nice signing here!
Appreciate that Clip, thanks. Buster is a competitor. Deadbeat dodgers spy Farhan’s long gone
Talk is he’s about to return to the Dodgers in some capacity.
Definitely time to change your handle frugal. It’d be nice to forget most of the Farhan era ever happened, other than 2021
Adames is not on Yankees radar by any means. They need a LF,1B, SP and Bullpen arms. Judge snd Dominguez secured in RF and CF so my guess is Walker, Bellinger, one of Fried, Flaherty or Burns and 2 bullpen arms not named Scott.
Anthony they need a second or third baseman. Adames might have been a fall back option. I’m not sold on Durbin.
That would be strange.
3B
Maybe a trade for Arenado if the cards take Strowman back in the deal.
@Baseball
Interested in him at 2b or perhaps 2b by we have internal options that they likely feel comfortable with in Jazz and Durbin.
Anthony maresca,
It was reported on multiple outlets that the Yankees were interested in Adames for 3B.
3b
I got a pick right!
Congrats to Wily. Set for life.
Not sure this will make the Giants set for life though.
This was basically bound to happen, the team had a severe need at shortstop and Adames was extensively linked to the Giants in free agency since the offseason started.
Expected outcome, deserved payday.
“But no big free agents want to sign in SF”… except Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Willy Adames.
Things are changing in SF
They made a ton of huge offers the last few years. They’ve finally got one. Nice!
All the MLBTR staff picked this one. Can’t remember what terms they thought
6/$160M.
Congrats Giants fans!
Great signing. He’s a hell of a Ballplayer
Brewer fan here, he had a career year. He will hit .209 strike out a ton and give you 25 homers. Way too much for him. Good for him though.
How you liking that yelich contract
Ah yes… a career year which can only mean his numbers are guaranteed to plummet. Sure.
A career year because he’s been getting better every year. Thanks 🙂
Is he getting better each year? Last three seasons his ops+ is 110-94-118. His defense tanked down last year. 3.1 war player last year which is good but nothing too special.
Is he an upgrade at shortstop…yes
Is he a game changer…no.
I think he does bring a lot of energy to a club.
I bet you’d like to have him back though.
@CeeJayRegs
Brewer fan here, you’re wrong and the Brewers will miss Adames in ’25 and the future. Typical Brewers!
$24.5m AAV for a 29 year old guy who averages about 4 wins by fWAR, a little over 3 by bWAR, is pretty rich. Supposedly a great clubhouse guy though. Still, Bregman should beat that comfortably. Bad news for Astros if they are still trying to resign Breg.
Bregman is smiling just as much as Adames today
That’s a lotta money for a guy that has never had a 5 War season…
Still a better deal than paying Kris Bryant. Whew. Adames > Bryant
Only 4 SS’s hit that last year, picking some arbitrary value and using it as a measuring stick is pointless
It was a rough year for SS last year in general. Only about a dozen played more than 140 games at the position. But I think Degaz’ point is valid, all the other high paid shortstops have had at least two 5 WAR seasons.
Adames played more innings than any SS at the position last season and isn’t even top 10 in WAR. It is definitely a big risk for SF.
Are you comparing Adames’ 7/$182M to Lindor’s 10/$341M? Or to Seager’s 10/$325M? Or Trea Turner’s 11/$300M?
Swanson is maybe comparable in value and contract, but had only one 5 WAR season Not sure who else you’re referring to, but Adames is not an apt comparison to those first 3.
And yet lindor and his elite defense got cometely disrespcted by the voters and fans of th bench king ohtani
.236 ave over the last 3 years and 108 OPS+ and a negative dWAR last year and will be 30 next year….GLWT
Wow thas an insane statement. Almost every value we pick is arbitrary, 100 mph, 100 pitches, hitting .300, mendoza line, 40 Hrs, literally its all arbitrary.
Yes, so picking an arbitrary number AND saying he doesn’t deserve a contract value because of it, is insane. Especially when that arbitrary number is not a common achievement.
oh Adames didn’t have 100 walks last year, he’s not worth the contract!
Try to keep up, otherwise just shush
A player who projects to be 5 WAR at his age would make a lot more than that.
Burnes next
Hopes and prayers… let’s get it done, Buster!
Have a great time in that s-hole city, Willy.
Great city. Would move there in an instant if I could afford it.
Lib.
Non-political actually. It’s objectively a great, beautiful, fun city. You’ve probably never been there and just watch FoxNews from your suburban basement all day.
Yeah, the West Coast has the best weather and scenery. That’s why everyone and their mother wants to live there….
Yer dead right about that. He’s seen pictures of the Golden Gate and some homeless people. ‘Nuff said, huh?
It’s a big city, with amazing looking Victorian homes and plenty of quiet neighborhoods, and GG Park, but like his voting choice, don’t confuse him with the facts.
Seam it’s refreshing to see someone else who’s not programmed by propaganda
@mcnasty1
fidiot.
First get the muck boots
@McNasty You get out much?
Perhaps dodging human manure and paying up for the privlege isnt his thing
Loser
Your jealousy is showing.
Jealous of SF? Lol. It used to be alright, it is growingly a dump literally too
@Raymond I get it. They closed down you guys’ favorite discos and bath houses. But you gotta move on!
SF is a beautiful city and a great place to walk around on a nice day. I encourage those who are scared to go there because of things politicians or the media have said, to leave their safe space to go see it for themselves. Either that or don’t try to describe it.
When you look at the time period and AAV, it looks similar to what the Astros offered Bregman since Alex is over 1 year older than Willy. Be curious how much an outside team would offer Bregman now after this deal.
good signing by Giants, but it’s not a great park for righty hitters
It’s not any worse for RHHs than it is for LHHs.
I stand corrected
In fact, it’s slightly better for RHHs. Oracle is bad for both for HRs. But Oracle is actually good for base hits and XBHs for both. but slightly better for RHHs.
Park effects, 1Bs:
RHHs 103 (9th)
LHHs 104 (11th)
2Bs:
RHHs 105 (11th)
LHHs 102 (12th)
3Bs:
RHHs 140 (5th)
LHHs 113 (12th)
All that is the big reason why I’ve questioned their approach at the plate, swinging for the fences w/RISP. When the PF is 97 for HRs for a RHH, and it’s 105 for a double, and 140 for a triple for the same, why not just put the ball in play?
Nice Job Giants! Left side of infield looks good with Adames and Chapman! Buster off to a good start. Good luck to them. Mahalo!
Buster picked a good player to make his first big move! Adames fills the Giants biggest need with a great player.
You could say re-signing Chapman was his first big move.
He was also looking for a high character guy and Adames checks that box. Also will be great to see Adames and Chapman in the lineup everyday. Both of them play through little injuries. Two similar people with lots of talent and character. Great for the clubhouse too. Hoping Buster doesn’t hand out optouts after 1 year.
Willy Adames getting about half what Correa was supposed to but with less years. I like this contract better I think than the proposed Correa contract. Not quite the scale back that I was expecting after a few of Poseys comments.
We’re not laughing with SF, we’re laughing at them.
Who is? Because that’s the epitome of a good deal. Buster filled two big needs, a SS and good bat.
Because you’re an idiot?
Contract likely won’t age well, but few do.
It’s has a chance to vs some that were awful from day 1
There ya go, now that’s a deal. Good job, SFG. This the guy that fit more perfectly for both their offensive and defensive needs and Buster got it done. Kudos.
This gets me to 2. Let’s keep on rolling!
In comparison, Miguel Rojas had a better W.A.R. in 1/2 the amount of games last season. Massive overpay IMO.
That probably just priced Bregman out of the Astros range
IMO Alex should talk to HOU and DET one more time ask for a little more $, decide and call it a day. There are other teams to consider does he have a geographic preference?
He’s from New Mexico, went to LSU and has said he wants to stay in Houston. Of course money makes lots of places look better
Good for SF Giants.
Adames will help SF more IF he adapts his game to the park – hits more balls in the gaps and uses his base running speed. With less HRs and less SOs he could still have 90 RBIs. Concerns length of contract and SO’s higher than I’d like
I think it’s worth remembering that Adames hit free agency at a slightly lower than average age for FA’s.
If he’d become a FA at a more typical 30 or 31, it’s entirely possible that his contract would max out at 5 or 6 years, instead of 7. I think there’s a decent chance that this contract ages well enough to be deemed an overall success.
Well, I guess Chapman can stay at 3B now.
Very solid left side of the IF now in SF
The Giants are a complete mess now. Throughout his career thus far he has been slightly better than an average starter but not AS level. Between the likely-to-go-bad contract they gave Chapman coming into his age 32 season, they’ll be hamstrung with terrible contracts on diminishing aging players for years to come. How can they get value out of this Adames deal? He needs to be at around 3.5 WAR for them to just break even on the deal, and his ceiling seems to be around 4 WAR – all the strikeouts hugely limit his upside potential beyond where he’s at right now, and he’s not known for spectacular defense. And, who is going to pitch reliably for them beyond Webb? They’re going to be worse in 2025 than 2024.
Luke Strong;
MLB is not rotisserie league.
Why don’t you learn something about the sport. Start with watching some games.
Samuel — This exactly. You took the word right out of my mouth.
Off-season’s not over dude. They have loads of money to spend and a good farm to trade from.
I’m sure SF would have preferred to go only 5 or 6 years with a option for extra year smaller guaranteed amount with a club buyout. Probably was a dealbreaker for Adames to get 7 years
A team preferring a year or two less, with an option, can probably be said about almost all FA contracts.
Under normal times I’d agree with your points but with today’s talent pool Adames is actually one of the best players in the league. It’s weird to think that a .250 hitter with some pop and good glove work would command a 7 year deal but considering the lack of offensive talent in baseball right now he’s top tier or close to it.
Don’t worry over the next decade these Ivy leaguers are going to rediscover baseball again and slap an analytics sticker on something timeless like bunting so they can pat themselves on the back. Either that or robots will replace players at some point.
Luke Strong. Brain not.
Nice. I predicted another signing. I think I got 4 or 5.
Old York,
I’m copying off of you in next year’s free agent contest! Although I do believe I got this one right, need to check the list!
Did you have severino?
@Poolhalljunkies
No, I was not smart enough to pick that one.
Surprised he signed before Soto, but good for him. Probably will be playing third by the middle of that contract though.
CAA client Adames breaks in front of the Boras-line. Makes sense. Get your money now, don’t wait for the Boras extended rollout.
As a Dodger fan, I like this signing. Adames will hit around 240 and 23 homers.
I know some Yanks fans are disappointed by I’m ok with them not signing him. 7 years take him into his age 36. The Yanks would’ve moved him to 3b and move Jazz back to 2b likely. The Yanks are high on Calib Durbin, and if he’s legit his hitting profile is what the Yanks need. A high walk, high contact, base stealer who didn’t strikeout much. If rather they go after Arenado, Brohm or keep Jazz at 3b and give Durbin the shot. But they should go after Santana on a short term deal or Bellinger and let Rice start the season at AAA.
I’m shocked they use Chisholm at 3B – Yankees miss on Bregman, they should sign Josh Rojas. Hits LH and sure handed at 3B. Put Jazz back in the OF or 2B if necessary.
I’m not. Between the two, I’d rather resign Gleyber when push comes to shove for half the total cost and years give him opt-outs after years one and two. One of Durbin, Peraza, and Vivas should emerge.
Let’s goooooooooooooo
I am in shock!
Nice! He’s a solid defender, and will probably give them 20 to 25 homeruns with a decent slash line. Clean cut, good face. Good looking ball player!
You forgot housebroken
impeccable hygiene
Can run too. (21 SB, 33 doubles last year)
Absolutely ridiculous overpay. That ballpark he will have one good year then bat 200 with 20 hrs
Sez you.
yes i know i said it
With all the stink of wish-think.
reminds me of when they signed Aaron Rowand.
Aaron Rowand can’t even be blamed on Zaidi You had to back 14 years to say something negative? If you want to be relevant try being current.
Sorry about that, I’m not trying to offend anyone. Wasn’t even thinking about Zaidi. I was just referencing the point that Rowand had decent offensive numbers in a hitter’s park (like Adames) and then signed with Frisco and his offensive numbers went way down.
Not offended, but this post seemed to be meant as a slap at the Giants. Is there a FA that a team signed that wasn’t a disappointment? My guess is no. Certainly Rowand wasn’t as big a disappointment as Rendon, or Ellsbury, or Heyward. The Padres doubled up on bad deals in one season with Hosmer and Myers. Every FA deal is a crap shoot.
Rowand had one good year in Chicago (2004) and one in Philly (2007). Giants should never have signed him at that price.
It wasn’t the money that was the problem with Rowand. The deal was 5/$60M. I remember MLBTR saying the money was right, but that 5 years was a surprise, and probably more than what the team would want.
Someone was going to overpay him ridiculously. Why not giants ?
For those asking about his bat will play outside of the Brewers bandbox, his OPS is better away .802 than at home .728, and even better the Giants park @ .827 OPS
These are stupid because he won’t be facing Giants pitching anymore
Is that Edman extension looking better yet?
@baseball
No one is holding the Yanks hostage. Get it thru your heads. It’s not if Soto then… it’s regardless of Soto. Yanks are not going to spend $700 mil and leave gaps at 1b, 2b, 3b, the bullpen, and maybe Reid. Yankees are not going to stop at just Soto. They still have to fill Rizzo, Torres, Holmes, etc and I don’t they’re going to introduce more than 2 rookies into the lineup this year (Dominguez and perhaps Durbin).
@baseball
My thinking is, that with Soto the Yanks made it to the WS but couldn’t get past the Dodgers. What would be missing? Your everyday 1b, 2b, closer and swapping out Verdugo for an unproven Dominguez. I just can’t see the Yanks getting cheap after spending $700 mil.
They have $81 mil coming off the books, including the $31 they paid Soto last year.
Yanks have cheap in-house options in Dominguez, Jazz, Durbin, and Rice. Jazz will play either 3b or 2b and perhaps LF if Soto doesn’t return. Let’s assume they sign Soto. I can absolutely see them going after a lefty bat like switch-hitter Carlos Santana on a short-term deal. Perhaps go after Belli at 1b or maybe Arenando or Brohm for 3b. Add additional $40 mil on a short term hit over let years payroll. I just can’t see the Yanks going cheap on rookies to fill the other spots. Yanks needed another bat from the left side
You add another 40 over last year and you are pushing to 350M and that additional 40M is going to actually cost roughly 100M due to taxes. Thats cohen money and i dont think the steinbrenners are going that high as if i remember right they were starting to question payroll as recent as last season.
Adding 46M with soto will also have you at 150 150M for the next few years committed to only 5 players with stanton dropping off after the 2027 season (with the 3M per year from the marlins not making any dent on his contract). Also 2 of those 5 (Judge and stanton) have quite an extensive injury history.
Very solid. One of the better ss contracts.
that’s a second one right
Good for the Giants. Now Chapman doesn’t have to play SS for any duration. Always love the LA-SF rivalry. National League West is where it’s@.
Chapman’s range at 3B covers a little SS anyway.
It’s nice knowing the Giants wont be a threat for the next decade.
Then what’s the ruckus?
DarrenDreifortsContract — Yeah we’ve heard your negative moaning for awhile now. Go watch another team.
Lazy. I guess typical for MLBTR though so not exactly surprising. How about Chapman/Adames/Fitz/Eldrige could very well be an extremely fun and talented infield to watch for 3-5 seasons? Ramos Lee and Bailey are all still part of this position group too. Stop being such a bummer loser nobody cares.
Chapman & Adames on the left side of your INF is solid. Add that to a big ball park, maybe attract some pitching and there’s a lot out there.
Why not both?
You obviously don’t care about the fans in SF who want a competitive team. This signing already makes the Giants much better, more watchable and Buster’s not done yet.
All players are aging, getting older every single day in fact. Crazy right? Adames played last year as a 28 yr old. Dude just turned 29.
They may not compete with the Dodgers. Padres and D-backs they can compete with. I said it at the beginning of 2024 and I still believe the D-backs are overrated. And any team with Machado and Tatis, although very talented, are just a dugout squabble waiting to happen if they go through a rough patch. I really like their team but I think it could be a little volatile. Might be wrong though.
Obvious fit. Glad SF got it done.
Fitzgerald as utility/DH/bench bat is quality depth.
Fitz will be the starting second baseman unless Buster can pry Bo Bichette from the Blue Jays. But I doubt it. With Fitz’ speed and pop, I’m not too worried.
I’m a little concerned as to whether Fitzgerald has some pop or not. He hit most of his homers during a 2 week stretch. Only hit a homer or two the rest of the year. Also started striking out at a very high rate after his homer flurry ended.
Bregman’s like… “Welp, there goes my $200m contract…”
He makes the Giants better, and he plugs the biggest hole on their roster. He’s an exciting player who is fun to watch in the field, on the bases, and with the bat. All at a premium position. It’s hard to be upset in the wake of a signing like this, so I’m going to enjoy this as a Giants fan.
However, my main concern isn’t with Adames himself. Even if he ages poorly and the contract becomes a dud halfway through, he’ll still make the team better and the deep pockets of Giants ownership should be able to absorb a bad $182M contract more than most.
What concerns me is if ownership (and the new Buster Posey front office) are content with this being the offseason’s one big transaction. If they mostly stand pat, allocating $333M to Adames and Chapman for the current roster would be puzzling. These are moves that should precede further big splashes, such as signing Corbin Burnes and a big 1B/DH bat like Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander, or even a trade for someone like Josh Naylor.
While it will take years to get the farm back to producing a core in the mold of the 2010-14 teams, the Giants can aim for immediate contention now to bridge the gap. But that will require spending big money and/or trade capital on at least two more key players. Otherwise, the $151M Chapman extension and the new $182M Adames deal will do little more than perpetuate the current model of “this team is too talented to win less than 78 games, but will struggle to win 82 games.”
Ann Porkins — Corbin Burnes or a solid #2 or #3 starter for sure, but you’re wrong about 1b. If the Giants sign Paul Goldschmidt to platoon with LaMonte Wade (and by mid-season Bryce Eldridge) they’ll be fine. Goldy can DH too.
Goldschmidt isn’t what he used to be. I’m not saying I’m opposed to adding him, especially if they spend big on a starting pitcher (and maybe add Ha-Seong Kim for some speed, defense, high-contact/low-strikeout offense, and roster versatility).
I didn’t list Goldschmidt simply because I didn’t want to list every possible option. For example, Tristan Casas could be another option, should the Giants sign a big arm and trade some of their young pitching to Boston. Christian Walker would be a solid middle ground between the pricier Alonso and the buy-low Goldschmidt.
At any rate, I’m open to all sorts of additions at 1B/DH. Especially if they allocate a few hundred million to a top of the rotation arm
I don’t see Walker as a fit for SF. He’ll be expensive, and he’ll want 3 years minimum. He’ll block Eldridge,
Defensively block Eldridge at first base? Maybe. Block Eldridge from everyday at bats? No way. As I said, both first base and DH are wide open after 2025. Adding Walker or Alonso or (fill in the blank) would fill one spot, leaving the other open to Eldridge.
No single addition to the 1B/DH mix will block Eldridge from a roster spot and everyday at bats. In the event that Eldridge tears up AAA (not a guarantee) and forces his way onto the 2025 roster, the Giants can easily ditch one or both of Wilmer and LaMonte. If Wilmer and LaMonte rebound and are productive, they can be trade bait. If they both are injured or stink, their modest salaries are not a barrier to them being DFA’d. I would see it as a tremendous scenario. The Giants spent money on a 1B/DH bat, they have a hyped prospect tearing through the minors at age 20, and two longtime players who are impending free agents and can easily be moved out of the way.
What I fear is the far likelier scenario: The Giants add no one to the 1B/DH mix, Wilmer and Wade are both injured and/or do not regain their power, and Eldridge needs another year or two of seasoning in the minors. I’m not comfortable with assuming Wade can be the everyday first basemen, given his leg issues and sapped power. I’m less comfortable assuming Wilmer Flores will be healthy and productive again. Assuming they’ll be the primary options at 1B and DH with no one else to fall back on (other than Jerar Encarnacion) is not ideal for a team that’s spending like it wants to contend next year. I would rather they get a bat to fill one position, minimize risk by platooning Wade and Wilmer at another position, and not assume that Eldridge will be a Major League hitter by August.
Well, yes Walker would block Eldridge defensively. Eldridge was a two-way player whose arm has a 60 grade. His glove has a 50 grade. Theoretically Alonso would be better, since he’d be the DH, but I see his deal as a potential landmine. And 5/$125M is too much to pay for a DH-only guy. I’d rather they bring back Canha to be the contingency for the things you’re worried about.
I don’t really see an issue with Eldridge (whose value is tied to his bat before all else) being blocked for a year or two if they brought in Walker. First base would be there when Walker is gone, and Eldridge’s short-term value isn’t vastly different at first vs at DH. Missing out on some defensive reps at first base wouldn’t be the end of the world, and if it was an issue they could easily part ways with Walker (trade him if he’s still good enough to have trade value, trade him in a bad contract swap, or simply have him be an overpriced DH/bench bat for a time)
And I can’t stress this enough, but I’ll do just one more time to avoid repeating myself further. There is zero guarantee that Eldridge will get anything other than a cup of coffee this season. In fact, there’s no guarantee he’ll even be a quality Major Leaguer. There’s plenty of reason to be hyped, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s an All Star and breaks the two-decade 30-homer drought. But these are not guarantees, and a team that’s spending to compete ASAP shouldn’t assume they’ll get anything from a 20-year-old with a handful of games at AA and AAA.
And the hypothetical roster crunch you’re talking about involves making room for the team’s best hitting prospect since Buster Posey. When Posey came up, the Giants almost immediately jettisoned Bengie Molina, their years-long established catcher and former cleanup hitter. They happily and easily paid that price, and a meteoric ascension of Eldridge would be no different. But the roster as currently constructed wouldn’t even need to make a room, and if they add a 1B or DH they wouldn’t need to make a move other than ditching Wade and/or Flores. Very doable.
The Giants would be making a mistake if they don’t get one more bat to deepen the lineup, even if it costs over $20M per year for a guy like Walker. Even if it means overpaying for Alonso. The Giants have money, and they can choose to continue spending it. They haven’t been able to develop or entice power hitters, so if Alonso wants to come and it costs the MLBTR-predicted 5/$125M, then I think it’s a worthy gamble. Maybe they’d be better suited to get Santander or Teoscar, who can play the outfield corners and DH. But regardless, this team has committed too much money for half-measures like Canha.
Unlike the speculative roster need in the hypothetical wake of Eldridge debuting this year, upgrading the lineup with one more potent bat satisfies a very real non-hypothetical need for the roster as it stands today. I’d rather the Giants have one too many useful bats in the mix while tempering expectations for a young prospect, than have one too few bats in the mix while potentially overestimating a young prospect’s timeline or readiness.
I think you don’t understand the financial aspects of running a baseball team. The Giants have said they want to reduce payroll this season. There’s a reason for that. You’re ignoring both the Giants’ goal, and their reason for doing it. Spending money unnecessarily just because they have it is not a good strategy.
But the worse part of your post is suggesting they keep Eldridge in the minors because 1B will still be there in a couple years. That’s not how to maximize a player’s value.
Posey is a great example, because Eldridge is the most highly touted prospect since Posey. What if the Giants signed a better catcher than Molina to upgrade position, because Posey was unproven and home plate would still be there in a couple years?
Teams regularly not lock into a FA that required multiple years, when they have a promising prospect. It’s a common practice in MLB. I think it would be silly for the Giants to depart from that practice, other wise they wind up with CBYT penalties, or an albatross contract, or both.
*CBT penalties.
I do understand the financial side of the sport. The Giants can afford to spend above the tax line if they want. The penalties and lost draft picks make it distasteful to do every single year, but they’re well-equipped to take on those penalties for a few years. As they try to revamp their minor league development, which has been lacking for a decade, I want them to raise payroll in the short-term to allow them an immediate chance to contend. Then, in several years as they (hopefully) have a steadier pipeline of minor league talent rising through the upper minors, they can lower payroll to more “reasonable” levels as their roster is filled with more and more pre-arbitration salaries.
It’s the model the Dodgers undertook in 2012. They had a decent-yet-flawed roster and used elevated payrolls to immediately infuse talent onto the MLB roster. By the time they deflated payrolls and were already in the midst of a streak of NL West titles, they had a wealth of young talent to replenish the roster and facilitate blockbuster trades (Yu Darvish, Manny Machado, Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Mookie Betts, etc). And with all the success and wealth of talent in their farm, they’ve been in a place where they can be selective when and how they spend.
The Giants have floated around #8-10 in payroll for years, despite having Oracle Park paid off and residing in one of the biggest markets. They’ve shown a willingness to splurge on star players and haven’t been directly affected by the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy reducing TV revenue. The Giants ownership group has deep pockets and could lean into that more, especially if it stymies the resentment and fatigue many Giants fans have felt growing since 2021. A resentment and fatigue that could further sap ticket and merchandise sales. Winning, however, cures all. And outside of their current crop of young players dramatically improving and carry the team to surprising in-house success next year, the immediate route to winning requires some spending over the next few years. And with the Chapman and Adames deals about to take effect, it’s too late for them to slash payroll and rebuild (not that ownership has ever wanted a full rebuild in the past 30 years). I reject the notion that the poor Giants ownership simply can’t afford to spend like the team in a top-5 market with a top-5 franchise net worth that they are.
Financial rant aside, I never once said the Giants should keep Eldridge down in the minors because first base will be there in a few years. I’ve repeatedly said the Giants should clear the way when they believe he’s ready and give him everyday at bats. I was saying that if they had a defensively-gifted first baseman like Walker, then it wouldn’t be a travesty if Eldridge’s first year or two of MLB experience featured a lot of DH time. I also immediately followed that up by saying that if — for whatever reason — the Giants felt the best move for his development was to have him play first base despite having a premium defender like Christian Walker, they would be able to move Walker. Whether Walker would be switched to being a pricey DH or he was traded away like Molina, even a $60M free agent with a premium glove at first base wouldn’t stand in the way of the Giants prioritizing Eldridge’s development.
Your hypothetical about what to do with Posey in 2010 also doesn’t quite hold up. The catcher position is the most specialized and rigorous defensive position, whereas first base is the least specialized and rigorous position. Moving a catcher to another position rarely makes sense, but moving a first baseman to DH is rarely a big deal. If the 2010 Giants had the DH and Molina was a better hitter than their DH at the time, then Molina would have simply moved there while Posey became the primary catcher.
A more accurate comparison would be if the Giants sign a better catcher than Molina to a multi-year deal before the 2009 season. A catcher that can play another position, a position that the Giants don’t have a long-term solution for. And then over a year later, when the Giants feel Posey is ready, they move that free agent catcher to whatever his second position is. So both Posey and this free agent are able to start every day simultaneously. That’s much closer to the reality of signing a first baseman, given the addition of the DH and the Giants lack of solution there beyond 2025. In other word, Posey wouldn’t be remotely blocked, just like Eldridge won’t.
And finally, you’re saying that teams don’t lock up free agents when they have a promising prospect at that position, which is often true. But as I’ve said many times… The Giants have TWO positions that are on uncertain ground. Adding someone to address either first base or DH allows them to squish their two in-house options into a platoon at the other position. And if (emphasis on IF) Eldridge storms through AAA and the Giants believe he’s ready for the Majors during the 2025 season, they will have virtually no trouble displacing Wade and/or Flores to give Eldridge everyday at bats.
Do you believe it’s a certainty that Eldridge will debut in the middle of 2025? Can you not admit that MAYBE he’ll spend the entirety of next year in AAA (besides a September callup, maybe)? Can you at least acknowledge that there’s any validity in the scenario where Eldridge isn’t ready next year and the Giants get poor production from aging/injured seasons from Wade and Flores? Can you not see how signing a first baseman to help NOW won’t interfere with the Giants being able to prioritize Eldridge’s development, no matter how fast or slow it goes?
Please, some brevity in your posts would be appreciated.
You did say, and I quote, “First base would be there when Walker is gone….”
Walker is expected to sign at least a 3 year deal.
I also never said Eldridge is guaranteed to be called up in 2025. It’s expected that he might, but if he isn’t, I’m good with Wade and Flores filling in until he is.
Your worries are one piled on the other. Chances are against all of Wade being injured, Flores not bouncing back, and Eldridge not being called up, all happening.
It’s just as likely that Walker or Alonso gets injured, regresses, or just has difficulty hitting at Oracle. Soler had 36 HRs in 2023 and hit only 12 with the Giants. Neither is a sure thing.
If I’m the Giants, I’d take a good look at Santana for 1B/DH.
Santana isn’t a bad idea. Unlike Walker or Alonso, he can be had on a 1-year deal at considerably less money. He’s a switch hitter who could platoon with Wade, and DH against RHPs.
“You did say, and I quote, “First base would be there when Walker is gone….” ”
If you quoted the full sentence, I think it’s clear I was saying that Eldridge would be starting at DH in the event they kept Walker at first: “First base would be there when Walker is gone, and Eldridge’s short-term value isn’t vastly different at first vs at DH.”
No mention of him wasting away in the minors because they have a guy like Walker at first.
“Chances are against all of Wade being injured, Flores not bouncing back, and Eldridge not being called up, all happening.”
And I’d argue that is the likeliest scenario. My worries don’t pile on one another. They’re based on the lack of certainty in the roster right this moment.
I want an upgrade, you’re fine with Mark Canha. I want the wealthy Giants ownership to spend, you seem fine with stagnation.
I wrote earlier that Eldridge has high grades for both fielding and his arm. DHing either him or Walker is a waste.
Your worries do pile on each other because it requires all three misfortunes to occur to justify the moves you want.
They should spend money, but it needs to be targeted to the greatest needs. 1B is not that. It seems like you want max financial effort at 1B when there are greater needs elsewhere. Look at WAR by position last season:
SP – 19th
2B – 28th
LF – 17th
DH – 21st
SS – 23rd
CF – 21st
1B – 15th (despite the problems of Flores, Wade)
SS and CF are now taken care of, but they have bigger needs than 1B. It doesn’t have to be Canha. It could be someone like Santana, as mentioned by another poster. Someone that gives a better cost/value balance.
Locking up big contracts unnecessarily prevents a team from going after better FAs in the coming years. It’s important to stay financially flexible. Signing an expensive 1B to multiple years when a team is excited about a near ready 1B, robs a team of flexibility.
A lot of that DH production came from Soler. Having someone bolster that position (or bolstering it by adding a first baseman and moving Wade and Flores into a platoon) reinforces both positions. The Giants lack a true star hitter, so they need to rely on having a lineup full of competent, above-average hitters. Being at or below the average at the two most offensively-focused positions is not something the Giants can afford when there are tons of options out there. Not if they want to contend.
I think we’re going in circles at this point, so I don’t see anything else to add. The Giants *can* spend more if they want, and I think it would be wise given the amount they’ve already invested in the team. In for a penny, in for a pound. And giving a first baseman a multi-year would only hamstring the Giants budget if they *allow* it to hamstring the budget.
That’s my point. The Giants (and many other teams) create self-imposed financial barriers that they choose not to cross. But if they chose to cross it for a few years while the new front office revamps their player development, they could aim for a Wild Card next year without sacrificing their long-term viability. All it takes is money, money the Giants ownership has.
Strip away that and assume the Giants will stay under the luxury tax, then of course they shouldn’t allocate their remaining funds towards a pricey first baseman. Carlos Santana or Paul Goldschmidt would be far more reasonable, and then they’d spend the rest on a starting pitcher. But that would feel closer to the Farhan era of half measures than the full-hearted attempts at contention that I believe this ownership could fund.
The Giants don’t lack a star hitter. I read an article earlier this year suggesting that Ramos was a ‘superstar’. He’s not yet, but he hasn’t played a full season yet. And Johnson himself said they’re willing to go over the tax again, for the right player. I’ll tend to believe him, over speculatory writers trying to get clicks. Although falling back under the tax for a year might not be a bad thing and I think we could do that and still add Burnes.
Whatever happens, I feel that Buster has a vision. In Posey we trust!
I’m concerned a bit about the Eldridge hype. I know he’s extremely talented but everyone thinks he’ll be in SF mid season and 1B is taken care of for years. Lots of pressure on a young guy. Remember the Joey Bart hype and how he responded trying to stick as their C once Posey retired. He never did pan out. Joey finally helped some in Pittsburgh this year and I’m happy for him. So time will tell how soon Eldridge impacts the Giants. Hope it’s soon but it’s not a slam dunk IMHO.
@mab51357 I completely agree. Giants fans should absolutely be excited and hyped for Eldridge. They would be foolish to prevent him from playing in the Majors as soon as he’s ready. But it’s not realistic to assume a guy who just turned 20 and was in A-ball in April will definitely impact the 2025 team. It’s certainly possible, and it would be a terrific thing for the team and its fans. But there’s no such thing as a “can’t miss prospect” and the Giants need to assume that Eldridge won’t contribute next year. If he forces the issue by destroying AAA at a young age, the Giants will be able to make room for him. Even if they’re locked down on a five-year Pete Alonso contract, there’s room for Eldridge if he forces the Giants’ hand.
But as is the nature of prospects, the likelier situation is that he takes some time to develop and he never reaches the lofty potential he clearly has. Considering the Giants are spending like a team that wants to win, they can’t afford to not add one more bat for fear of a situation that may never happen (a situation that would give them an abundance of talent at 1B/DH, which is a very good problem to have)
I don’t see Bart, and his struggles as an apt comparison to Eldridge. Bart, being a catcher, had a ton more to learn than a 1B. Plus, Bart lost a whole season of development from Covid, and was rushed to MLB before he was ready,
Not only do the Giants love Eldridge but so do a lot of non-biased prospect outlets. I think he’s the most promising non-pitching prospect since Posey.
Whether or not he’s analogous to Bart, it doesn’t change the fact that no prospect is a guarantee. You can love a prospect while also not assuming a 20-year-old will crush AAA a year after he was in A-ball.
It also doesn’t change the fact that the Giants have committed $333M to the left side of the infield for six-plus years, and they’re reportedly still pursuing Corbin Burnes (and maybe Max Fried). The Giants are spending like a team that wants to contend, and they can certainly make an improvement by adding a first baseman or corner outfielder who can also play DH. And adding such a player while retaining Wilmer and Wade wouldn’t block Eldridge from making his debut, but it would provide immense insurance in the likely event that Eldridge isn’t quite ready at any point in 2025
They’re obviously not analogous for the reasons stated. Singly out one disappointment, who seems to have finally started to fulfill his potential, is useless. There are also highly regarded prospects that have delivered.
If you remember correctly, the Giants said they wanted to reduce payroll. They need pitching more than they need to add pricey players, just in case Wade gets injured, and Wilmer doesn’t bounce back, and Eldridge disappoints. An OF that can DH is a much better idea than Walker or Alonso.
Sure, Eldridge isn’t Bart. And some prospects do reach their potential. But even the most “can’t miss” prospects are not certain to be stars. You cannot know that. The Giants cannot know that. Even a 90% chance of success has a 10% chance of failure. So I always preach caution and tempered expectations when it comes to prospects. And for teams like the Giants, with hundreds of millions already committed to players in their primes, their focus should be on building a complete team without over-relying on the contributions of a prospect who literally no one can say for certain will contribute next season.
I feel like we’re going in circles and splitting hairs a bit at this point lol. I’ve made too many comments to recall where, but I’ve state that the Giants’ priority right now should be getting a starting pitcher. They need at least one reliable arm (ideally Burnes or Fried) to ensure they don’t end up in a scenario like the last two years, where they often patched together a rotation with Webb and one or two other starters. If the Giants feel like they can spend big on only one more player, I want Burnes or Fried.
As for the payroll, yes, they’ve stated they won’t payroll to go down. But front offices also lie or their plans can change. Especially if they shave up to $30M by finding other homes for Yaz, Wade, Doval, and Taylor Rogers. If they add Burnes at about $30M AAV and shave some payroll from a one or two of those players, they’d be right around last year’s payroll and below the luxury tax.
Perhaps they’ll stick to that. Perhaps those comments were gamesmanship to avoid agents trying to get the Giants to drive up prices. Perhaps a reduced payroll was their initial idea, but adding Adames and Burnes would make them reconsider. At any rate, my desire is for them to spend. Get Adames, Burnes, and one other big bat. Throw in a short-term pillow contract for Ha-Seong Kim while you’re at it. Blow past the luxury tax by $50M for a few years while they rebuild their player development pipeline.
And that extra big bat could definitely be Santander or Teoscar Hernandez. Those players are more likely to be wrapped in a bidding war amongst the teams who miss out on Soto, but they’d make the Giants a better team and basiccally push Wade/Flores into a first base platoon.
I think the genesis of many of my earlier comments was to push back a bit on the idea that Eldridge is a guarantee, and that he’s going to be the Giants first baseman before the end of 2025. That could be (I would love it to be true), but I can’t disagree more with the certainty that many Giants fans have. And once the dust settles on their quest for a starting pitcher, I would be happy with an upgrade at first base — even a pricey one. That’s not to say it’s the best route or the only route, but if the Giants ended the offseason with Adames, Burnes, and Alonso/Walker, I’d be ecstatic.
I wasn’t comparing Bart to Eldridge in any facet other than the hype. And the hype is similar to Bart when he was drafted. It can sometimes take a few trips back and forth to AAA before it all falls in place for a very young player. Ramos was a pretty big hype that took a few years to settle in also. Luciano another huge hype prospect that still hasn’t figured it out. He also seems to be regressing now. Even Harrison is taking a few years. Matt Williams is another example. That’s the comparison I was making with Bart/Eldridge.
The Giants org has a much better idea about the chances that Eldridge is productive than anyone posting here. Going with Eldridge is a gamble, but so is every FA signing.
I think it’s the wrong approach to assume the Giants are lying than telling the truth. FOs don’t always tell the truth, but it’s usually more what they don’t say than what they do.
I agree with many of your points, especially about pitching, or an OF, except the last one. I’d be mildly confused if they signed Walker. But I’d feel hugely negative if they were foolish enough to lock into a 5/$125M deal, or more, for Alonso, I’d avoid him like the plague.
The hype with Bart was more because he was a 2nd overall pick. Catching is a very difficult position. There’s a lot to learn while hitting takes a back seat (Posey was atypical). Plus he appears to maybe be living up to the earlier hype.
As you noted Ramos seems to have figured it out this past year. I’d just add that Luciano (and Matos BTW) are 2 years younger than Ramos.
It’s different for pitcher’s. Pitching is more of a learning position than any position other than catcher. Look at Webb’s first couple of years. He finally figured it out in his 3rd season. I think Harrison will progress this coming season.
As a Giants fan I can not overstate how much I hate this.
Move along with farhan to the dodgers then
Do you hate it because of Adames himself, the amount of money they gave him, or because how it may affect how they address their other needs?
I think it’s clear that Adames makes the team better and adds some athleticism at a premium position (something they sorely need), but seven years and $26M AAV is a steep price for one player when they have other areas to address.
My opinion of this contract hinges mostly on what else the front office does. If they stand pat, allocating $333M to Adames and Chapman while not reinforcing other parts of the roster makes no sense. Going all in on a team that will struggle to win a Wild Card doesn’t seem wise. But if they continue to spend and disprove the “Giants payroll will go down” headlines, then I could get behind this contract.
My wish is for the Giants to raise their payroll to new heights for the next few years in order to make 2025-27 competitive. Then hopefully they’ll have revamped their farm pipeline enough to have a more reliable stream of homegrown players to sustain the roster so that they can still contend while these contracts start to become burdensome.
I think I’m just being overly negative to be honest. I’ve felt my baseball love diminish greatly and just don’t believe the Giants can compete with the Dodgers. I think I mostly hate it because he’s a fun guy who probably won’t move the needle and I’m expecting more failure and the Dodgers to just keep doing whatever they want. Thank you for your in depth comment I enjoyed the intelligent questions and definitely didn’t deserve that effort for my bitchy little comment 🙂 Truly thank you
Farhan really has done some significant damage to the Giants and their fans. But he’s going back to LA now. Hopefully as POBO. There’s reason for optimism. In Posey we trust!
Haha no worries. The Giants have been in a weird place the last few years. Close enough to contention to feel hopeful, which makes the middling results hurt more somehow. You can’t have your hopes dashed if you never hoped to begin with, so I think the negativity of Giants fans comes from being on the cusp of contention.
I agree that the Giants (and basically no team) can truly compete with the Dodgers year after year. But teams that sneak into the Wild Card and get hot in October can overcome a “better” team. So I’ve stopped caring about what the Dodgers do. They’ll continue to be stacked, but they’ll also continue to be fallible in a best-of-five or best-of-seven series.
Best move Zaididiot made was unloading Soler’s bad contract. Unfortunately he was just covering his butt because he’s the one who signed him in the first place. Soler was horrible and I thought the Giants did great unloading his contract. Thanks for that at least Fargone.
Could you shed some light as to why?
I would have preferred HSK. There is no pursuit of power in SF after Barry — he was the one and only anomaly. We don’t need 30+ homer guys. In fact, such a search is futile. The fog disintegrates their boom.
We need incredible defense (HSK), move the line hitters (HSK), and energy (HSK) [in fact I can’t believe the Padres are shopping him when he is BELOVED and everyone chants his name during big moments). Batters truly would not be able to hit the ball to the left part of the infield if we had Chapman and HSK. Then load up on arms (Burnes, for one). ERA+ over WRC+ in SF.
AND — I like the narrative of perennial rivals, LA and SF, doubling down on Japanese / Korean stars. A rivalry within a rivalry.
Jung Hoo Lee and HSK…now that’s a heartmelter.
This will look good year 1. Bad year 2. Maybe a streaky weird, oddly excellent 3 or 4. And then a bad bad year 567.
Just my .02 ya gumps
They may still grab HSK for 2B.
He’ll be fairly cheap with the injury, and wants to play with his buddy Lee.
Keep the faith !
The Padres can’t “shop” an unrestricted free agent.
Yeah yeah yeah I mean not aggressively pursue him and lock him up for themselves
He was in their organization.
They know more about his current injury than any other team.
They aren’t “aggressively pursuing” him. What does that tell you?
Or, it might not be because of the injury, but for money reasons instead. When Seidler died the pocketbook snapped shut, and they haven’t spent like they used to. It may be the injury, but there’s no doubt he’s probably beyond what they’re comfortable with as far as salary goes.
I think HSK’s injury is a bit of a downer to teams but if he’s healthy it would be great to sign him. It would allow Fitzgerald to be the super utility guy that he would be great at. Just tough to sign an injured/recovering from injury FA.
A tough sign, but that brings his price down. If Kim was able to jump onto the roster halfway through the season, that would give Fitzgerald a few months to play second every day. It would be a good look at whether or not his bat replicates some of his power surge from last season, and it would give the Giants some great data on what it’s like to have him as an everyday option at one position.
Then with Kim getting regular playing time, they’d also get to see how Fitzgerald does as a super utility. Can he juggle his occasional starts at SS/2B with some games at CF to give Lee rest? Can he become Yaz’s platoon partner in the outfield? Would they test him out at first base or DH on occasion? It would give the Giants two glimpses at Fitzgerald in two different (but potentially vital) roles.
If he’s great at second, maybe they let Kim walk/opt out and feel comfortable with Fitz as the 2026 regular second baseman. Or maybe he thrives in the utility role, making them want to use him in the mold of Ben Zobrist and giving Kim a place to stay with the Giants beyond 2025. If Fitzgerald’s bat struggles and it seems his 2024 was a mirage, then they also learn a lot of useful info. They would probably see him as a bench utility player who can also pinch run late in a game. Maybe that dip in offense would also inspire them to keep Kim around (assuming he’s healthy and plays well in his limited 2025 season).
Another wrinkle that makes me want Kim is that it would be some built-in insurance for Wilmer Flores. With Kim on the IL and Fitzgerald at second on Opening Day, DH would be ripe for opportunity to see if Wilmer is healthy and the same lefty-mashing bat that thrived before his injury-plagued 2024. If he returns to form, awesome! But if he doesn’t, then Kim could potentially take his roster spot. Wilmer could get a few months to show whether or not he’s still got it, and if he struggles as Kim comes back, Wilmer could be let go and those DH at bats could be allocated to Fitzgerald, Ramos, Encarnacion, and anyone who needs a day off from fielding.
With the question marks surrounding Wilmer’s health and effectiveness, as well as the uncertainty of Fitzgerald replicating his 2024 offense, having a mid-season replacement of Kim’s caliber could fit very nicely with the Giants roster.
Smart as hell tbh
Not bad. But I’ve seen Yaz hit enough clutch hits and HR’s off of LHP to wonder why he’s not playing everyday. Seems like Farhan and Kapler slapped the platoon label on him and it just stuck
I could be wrong but I think HSK is a FA so the Padres aren’t shopping him because they can’t.
Sign christian walker and that infield defense would be impressive
Despite being a devout LaMonte Wade Jr. enjoyer, this would be a very tantalizing scenario. Though I supposed Wade could platoon with Wilmer as a DH stopgap. Maybe not playing the field will help keep his legs intact, and then he can rediscover some of his missing power.
But back to Walker’s glove at first… and considering how excellent Bailey is at catcher, Jung-Hoo Lee appeared to be a very good center fielder, and Yaz continues to be a Gold Glove contender in right… that defense would be one of the best the Giants have had in decades. Especially because half of their lineup would also have above-average speed (another Giants rarity in recent decades).
It would be wild to go to look at their 2023 roster, where the likes of Mitch Haniger, Michael Conforto, JD Davis, and Joc Pederson played the field, and think “two years later, their defense will be among the best in the game.”
Yes. Speed and defense will be great to watch. Pretty rare here recently. Good points Ann Porkins.
They don’t want to lock into a multi-year deal for a guy that would block Eldridge. The Giants are hugely enthusiastic over him, and it’s said he could be called up in 2025. Wade is a better option to fill in until Eldridge is ready.
I don’t think they should be too concerned about blocking Eldridge. Wade and Flores are both impending free agents. If Walker (or Alonso or anyone else) was acquired to play first base in 2025, they could easily put them at DH. Or perhaps Eldridge would spend time at DH if Walker’s excellent glove was stationed at first. Either way, the team could add someone to be the primary 1B, platoon Wade and Wilmer at DH next season, and then Eldridge could swoop in as early as next summer and take one of those positions.
I would rather the Giants have a potent bat added to the mix right now and then worry about a 20-year-old Eldridge forcing his way into a 2025 roster jam than do nothing and assume the in-house options will be enough. If Wade’s legs poop out, Wilmer doesn’t rebound, and Eldridge needs another two years to develop, the Giants will be getting little production from the two most offense-oriented positions.
This is what Baseball America wrote about Eldridge:
“Eldridge is a big man with a lightning-quick bat capable of losing baseballs to all sectors of any park in the country, from Oracle to Yellowstone. His impact numbers—including a 90th percentile exit velocity of 106 mph and a max of 111—back that up.”
True, Eldridge could DH (or Alonso). Walker would be wasted at DH. But I think the big problem with those two is the allocation of resources. Walker is projected at 3/$60M, and Alonso at 5/$125M. I’d rather see Wade/Flores fill in until Eldridge is ready, and use that money for pitching.
I wouldn’t feel that way if the Giants, as well as everyone else, weren’t so high on Eldridge. They’re even suggesting he could be called up in 2025.
Suddenly, every team in the NL. Central became a serious contender to win the division
That’s what everyone thought after the Corbin Burnes trade last offseason. Or Josh Hader before that. The Brewers somehow just keep rolling with the next man up.
The Brewers are one of a few teams that always finds good players to replace the departing players. They are doing something right. Must be their offerings of beer and cheese are the ticket.
Thank Heavens the Giants did something !!!
Corbin Burnes, Your up.
Buster will see you now.
Kim please wait in the lobby.
Willy is a tremendous player but seriously the Giants. Nobody wants to go there and they are a perrinial last place team
Uh, Willy just went there and SFG rarely has been in last place, so ya.
As long as the Rockies are in the NL West….
Same ole tired comment…they won not one, not two, but three rings probably before your team has won any. They are constantly trying to put together a competitive team and not far removed from 107 wins. Please stop with the bs. No one cares about your hate.
They won 3 rings 10 years ago. Harper said no thank you. Judge said no thank you. Correa could not pass a physical. Soto and Ohtani were not impressed. SF is not appealing
Never tried to sign Soto, Judge was always a Yankee, and was in fact saying the opposite of you, thank God Correa failed his physical, and Ohtani once again said the opposite of you. SF has more rings in 15 years than any ball club so not sure your point! Haha
SF could be the secret team in on Soto. Nobody knows. Buster seems to be keeping his cards close to his chest.
How many teams have won 3 rings since the Giants did it?
Weird comment. If I can remember correctly, the Giants have one last place finish in my lifetime (2017)
Oh sorry. I don’t consider the Colorado Rockies a MLB team
“Willy is a tremendous player…”
One sentence later: “Nobody wants to go there…”
Which is it?
Well they finally got their big fish
“Nobody wants to go there and they are a perrinial last place team”
I guess you must mean perennial. And I guess you don’t know what perennial means. Since 1986, 39 years, they’ve finished last exactly two times.
And when you say no one wants to go there, I guess that excludes Blake Snell, Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodon, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames. Not to mention second tier guys like Alex Cobb, Wilmer Flores, Michael Conforto, and Joc Pederson.
What’s wrong with you that you would expose such ignorance of the facts just so you could post something negative? Obviously you’re uninformed about the Giants, and like a pompous ass, feel the need to expound upon them despite your dearth of knowledge about the team.
Couldn’t have said that better.
Damn. Three of those pitchers were allowed to leave on optouts. Gausmann,Snell,Rodon and Webb would be a real nice rotation. But Fargon let them all leave. Grr.
Kevin Gausman had a 105 ERA+, with 0.9 bWAR, and was paid $22M last season. The Jays owe him $46M over the next 2 years. Unless he bounces back, letting him go might have been a good decision.
Carlos Rodon had a 104 ERA+ with a 1.9 bWAR and was paid $27.833m+. The Yanks owe him $111M+ over the next for years. At this point letting him walk was the best decision.
And Snell was great for the Giants, but $36.4M per year for 5 years could turn bad. The new FO could have matched that, and I’m glad they didn’t. Maybe Snell doesn’t sign with SF without the opt-outs. It’s completely defensible letting him walk.
What’s not defensible at this point is how Farhan managed the Giants. But we’re past that now. Moving forward… In Posey we trust!!
Perennial FFS
Still far from the Dodgers but good signing regardless and nice to see us TRYING to compete
Posey makes a splash at SS getting Adames before Winter Meetings officially begins
Since there’s no draft pick compensation involved Kim would be another great addition
Go big,sign Burnes & then call it a great offseason
HSK can be had.
I predict an offer of 2/18 with opt out.
As a bonus he gets to wear his buddy Lee’s arm sling. He’ll jump all over it.
Posey building a team. Might be able to cross Dodgers-Giants LCS off the bucket list sooner rather than later….
SF has a not scary lineup. Good luck.
The 2021 Giants had a not-so-scary lineup at a glance. But when they had a lineup full of 110 – 130 OPS+ bats and a deep bench. They were one of the most prolific offenses that year, finishing second in homers despite not having anyone eclipse Belt’s 29.
I’m not saying the 2025 lineup will be as potent, but there’s a value in having length and depth — especially when you lack the MVP star power the Giants have sought for several years. With one or two more upgrades, they could have a lineup of eight or nine above-average bats. Couple that with a good defense and more speed than they’ve had in decades, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants had an offense that’s sneaky.
All of that would hinge on getting another bat for 1B/DH, and maybe a second baseman. It would likely require them to get either Corbin Burnes or Max Fried to pair with Webb atop the rotation. All of those are far from given, and even then the Giants wouldn’t be an automatic playoff contender.
But the blueprint is there, and the Giants could surprise people with a few more hefty additions and some avoidance of the injury bug.
The fact that Willy Adames has been sub-putrid in the playoffs really is not much of a factor for the Giants.
It however, is probably the reason why the Dodgers passed on Adames, as the playoffs are all that really matter for them.
Dodgers are expecting Alex Freeland to take over at short if not later this year, by 2026. I don’t think they ever considered spending $182 mill to fill that spot.
I’d love to put Adames’ putrid playoff stats to the test. Because that would mean the Giants made the playoffs to begin with lol
JSS. It is also possible Adames “passed” on the Dodgers and wanted to be in SF.
I now have two correct picks in the feee agent signing contest!! WOOHOO
He’s going to pile up a ton of strike outs in the west.
Mr. Deeds, please correct your story. They’ve lost $1 mill in international pool money, not $100k. And if they sign another QO player they lose pick 3 and 6 in addition to 2 and 5 for signing Adames. They already lost 2 picks for the Chapman Snell signings in the 24 draft. The current penalties affect 2025 pool and 2025 picks. Fix it please.
Sweet this means the yankees will miss on Soto and Adames! It’s a good day in baseball.
I am a litte shocked adames signed before soto. Why not wait till the losers on soto can decide if they wanna pivot to you?
Maybe he likes what was offered!
And it may come as a shock to some but maybe he wanted to go the Giants. Maybe as a visiting player he really liked his experience in SF.
Because this was a fantastic offer. He couldn’t refuse.
Giants might get Soto and Adames, if they’re the secret team in on Soto. Posey seems to be keeping his cards close to his chest
I highly doubt Posey thinks it’s a good idea to pay that much to Soto who is pretty one dimensional.
In hindsight you’re right. Soto totally fleeced the Mets lmao
Willy you were a great player for the Brewers! You will be missed on the field, happy for the guy getting big money. Now the Brewers should ask Adames for a loan so they can find his replacement.
Good signing, still need to add to the offense and pitching staff. Trade Yaz, wade, and flores Rodger’s (lhp) For some prospects because the draft is gonna be screwed this year. Ramos in LF, Matos in RF. Go out and bring in pivetta, Jose Quintana or Gibson, and two depth arms (Zach Davies, Chris flexen, quantrill etc). Add some bullpen depth: Ferguson, leclrec, colomboe, minter, Romano etc. I would consider signing Alonso if his market doesn’t develop like it looks like it won’t (idc Eldridge is close one can DH once he’s ready they need the bats). They have the makings of a solid WC team with these additions. Last year they had no SP depth and an anemic offense. Adames helps but doesn’t solve all issues.
I believe Lee is our cf for yesrs to come. I think Matos might be traded.
Matos had a better FV than any Giants’ OF prospect has now. He could be better than Ramos. Trading him now would be a mistake. Even though he played there, he’s not a CF, so Lee being with the team is not an issue. With Conforto gone, and with Yaz one more year, if that,. there’s a place for Matos on the Giants.
I don’t want Matos traded. Just that it might happen. The hot streak he got on for a bit last season shows he can play. And I love his swing. He’s also made some progress defensively. I’d have no problem with him being a starter in the OF.
Jean actually James Tibbs III has higher FV than any other Giants OF prospects right now. That said, I believe, based on things Posey has said, that Posey likes McRay more than Matos. I agree that Matos may very well be traded. And that’s ok. I acknowledge that he may become a good MLB player elsewhere.
You’re right. I meant, compared to the young guys that have been called up last 2 seasons, like McCray, Meckler, etc.. I also meant when he was still in AAA, his FV has dropped with his trouble adjusting to the bigs. I know that’s not what I wrote, and that’s on me.
I hadn’t heard that about Posey. McCray seemed less intimated by being in MLB, and can play CF, but Matos has the better hit tool. Maybe he gets traded, but I’d hope it isn’t now while his value is low.
I just don’t see McCray being better than Matos. McCray seemed to be overmatched at times. He could use some more time in the minors.
I understand what you’re saying. You have valid points. Btw I meant to say that I acknowledge that Matos has the potential to become a good player, whether it’s here or elsewhere.
@mah you may very well be right. I personally like both of them a lot. Maybe partial to McRay, but not by much. I think both guys have big potential.
For the first time in years I’m starting to get the feeling that we have a front office that might get it right. Going by blending in feel and instinct, not just numbers alone. I think Posey, Minasian and co. have a solid idea and vision in their heads that they’re working towards. And I think that includes players attitudes. That might be McRay’s advantage, but I’m only speculating. I know McRay is faster and seems to have more power imo.
adshadbolt — As a Giants fan I am so glad you’re not our GM.
As a Giants fan of 60 years I’m also glad I’m not the GM. Lol
Yeah it’s a great signing. Yaz has been better than Bellinger in some comparisons the last 4 years, I’m ok with Yaz. He’s good. Although I’d accept a RF upgrade named Soto. Santander could be a good DH. Burnes is realistic I think. Sasaki possibly too.
This is my only correct guess so far in the free agent contest
Just waiting for the April Fools joke that he’s going to the Dodgers for deferred money. I didn’t know other teams were allowed to sign FAs. Maybe LA wanted to defer too much of the contract. Or maybe Adames isn’t a sellout clown who wants to win with a team that doesn’t buy its entire roster.
Or maybe this isn’t about the Dodgers.
Career year. Bust in that ballpark
I think he will be alright. Probaly average 2.5 WAR a few more seasons. But he is ki d of hrd to pedict imo
The ballpark is fine, and Willy will be fine there.
Career year because improving every year. LF isn’t the hard field to hit HR in Oracle, RF is. (Which makes Barry Bonds accomplishments even more amazing.)
Where are the deferrals?
In the fine print. Squint a little bit.
Good signing for a few reasons, first of all that I got the pick right. Shows an ability to identify a need and a commitment to do what it takes to address it. Hopefully there are a couple of more moves coming. Another SP and a DH with legit power would make sense.
Santander would be a good DH. Soto would be amazing. I think Burnes is coming and possibly Sasaki
Giants aren’t in the Sasaki running. Burnes will likely go to whichever NY team (or Bos) doesn’t get Soto. Santander feels like a Giants jam, yeah.
Good – Merry Christmas
Giants have a solid Infield now and the Outfield looks solid. A DH bat and this lineup will be set
I’m good with Wilmer Flores, just not last year’s injured version.
Much rather spend on Burnes.
I’m thinking an actual DH bat. Flores will get plenty of playing time at 1B given Wade’s inability to stay healthy. I wouldn’t rule out a Paul Goldschmidt or a Justin Turner
Goldschmidt is the correct answer.
I disagree on Goldy personally. I think we’re fine with Wade and Flores at 1b for 1 more year. Eldridge might be up between May -Aug and take over, don’t want to block him.
Wade is better than Goldy at this stage.
And I think people forget that he had over 20 HR in 2023. Wilmer is a professional hitter and can hold his own at 1B and some at 2B.
Goldschmidt is 37 and had a 1.3 bWAR, and a below league average OPS+ last season. He is not the answer. They’re better off sticking with what the have.
Lee. CF
Ramos. LF
Wade. 1B
Adames. SS
Chapman. 3B
Flores. DH
Bailey C
Matos/ Yaz RF
Fitzgerald. 2B
Is Flores signed for 2025? I can’t remember.
Yes. He picked up his player’s option.
Thx Jean
I’d write in Wade/Goldschmidt at firstbase—and wait for Bryce Eldrigdge.
Goldschmidt is not gonna sign as a short platoon. Wade/Flores is actually really good. One of their better positions if they stay healthy.
Lee CF
Wade 1B
Adames SS
Ramos LF
Chapman 3B
Yaz RF (Soto would be great)
Flores DH (Santander would be great)
Fitzgerald 2B
Murphy/Bailey C
(With the current roster)
I’d like to see Burnes and maybe Sasaki too
good for the giants, they’re finally spending money, unless something happens
An expensive pick up since there is a bonus in Year 1. Glad to see a team added players they need. Sure wish it happened in Boston.
The bonus is irrelevant to the overall contract. The value is what it is. Bonuses are used by teams to offset taxes in high tax areas. Bonuses aren’t taxed at the rate in the team’s location.
Willy is maybe my favorite active player to watch, he loves the game and by all accounts it an S tier captain. Who knows if he’ll live up to this deal, but I’m jealous of Giants fans getting to watch him over the next 2-3 years at least.
Hopefully he will try for MVP that is not on a contract year
They’ll regret that contract in 3 years
In 3 years he’ll be the same age as Matt Chapman played last year. where he put up a 7.1 WAR season, infielders don’t generally fall off a cliff in there early 30’s. Juan Uribe had 3.6 and 4.0 WAR season in his 34th and 35th year. Marcus Semien is still going strong at 33. Ian Kindler was solid through 36, plenty of infielders perform well. He’ll be making 22 million a year, that’s not an Albatross contract by any means for SF
@gr81t2 It would sure be great if there was a way to challenge this kind of a declarative prediction by asking such a bold forecaster as yourself to put some money where your mouth is.
I’m just glad he is out of the NL Central.
There goes Ha-Seong Kim’s potential landing spot. I wonder if the Dodgers will now grab Kim to man shortstop.
Im hoping the Braves grab Kim. Im not wanting another year of Arcia.
Great signing! Can’t wait to see it make the list of worst 10 contracts next year or the year after.
Oh yee of little faith. Move on.
Could be good, could be a bust. Adames has run the gamut so far
Adames is among the most consistent players in the sport. Literally known for that.
So 22 million for a 3 WAR player at the end of his prime is a great deal says the peanut gallery
45 a year for a 7 WAR player player at the beginning of his prime is the worst deal ever says he peanut gallery
Got it
Soto was played 7 full seasons, accrued 36.4 WAR, that’s an average of 5.2 WAR per season.
Adames has averaged 3.07 WAR per season. He will be payed $22 through his age 35 season.
Soto appears to be getting $46+ through his year 40 season.
What’s the odds that Adames is still a solid 2 WAR player at 35 vs Soto being even a 4 WAR player by the time he’s 36 as a DH? How about at 37, 38, 39 and 40?
Adames and Soto are only 3 years apart so, to you a guy about to enter his yr 26 season is “just entering his prime” but a guy who just played his yr 28 season is at the end of his prime? That argument makes the upcoming Soto deal look even worse if you think a player is at the end of their prime years that early.
Soto is absolutely great, but he’s nowhere near Ohtani, and not even as good as Judge so the deal being discussed is pretty crazy.
That last bit is actually dead wrong. 26 is indeed the beginning of a hitter’s prime on average, and 29 is the end.
Yes 27-30 is the prime. Yes adames is leaving it, yes soto is entering it. Spin it however u like, but soto is the better hitter
Soto is at least 32, and not a defensive asset. Glad SFG did not get involved in this year’s Boras folly.
Soto is the better hitter but that’s all he’s good for. No defense, baserunning lacks and no intangibles. He could end up being a pretty young DH.
This will give the Giants a real boost on offense but just as important, the left side of the infield is going to be pretty nice on defensive side with Chapman. A really good signing by the Giants.
Many errors in the article
Thanks for not including any
Very descriptive
At least one error in your post.
As a Dodgers fan I don’t think I’m going to like the Posey regime nearly as much as the Zaidi one.
Zaidi in talks to rejoin the dodgers, hopefully he becomes POBO
It’s a great signing, but it’s too bad it has to be in a cesspool of a once great city.
SF is a beautiful city and a great place to walk around on a nice day. To anyone scared to go there, because they’re brainwashed by media or politicians propaganda, I encourage them to brave leaving their safe space and go see it for themselves. Or else stop pretending that they’re qualified to describe it.
Amen. An amazing place. Yes there are homeless people around, but what city doesn’t. SF has just been relentlessly targeted by made up or deeply biased “news” reports from FoxNews and others, feeding on people who have become scared of their own shadows.
Seam very well said
Beat it, Mousenuts.
SF is fine.
That is 3 right for me in the FA contest. The biggest “NO DUH”! moment of the day.
Great signing! Will really help both the offense and defense at SS. Good baserunning speed too.
Treat him right SF and you’ll love him for the whole contract and more. He’s going to be missed here in Wisconsin. Can’t wait to see him when he visits next time. Not sure if the local TV interviewers know it but Willy can launch Gatorade like a spitting cobra!
I’m sure Krukow and Kuiper are definitely going to key in on the fact that he came to the Giants from a Wisconsin team. I hope our new front office takes better care of our players than the last one did.
I think it’s a given that Posey and Melvin will treat the players much better than the Fargon Zaidiot/Krapler era. Probably one of the bigger attributes for Posey is that he was a great player who knows how to treat players. As a player he was a very quiet, respected & effective leader. I don’t see that being a problem. Kind of reminds me of John Lynch with the 49ers. HOF player who knows how to treat players.
@mab51357 I completely agree with every word you said in that comment. Well said.
He’s a .220-.240 hitter who hits 20hrs and who strikes out a ton. Have fun SF
Unless he’s a .251 hitter who hits 32 Hr’s which is what he did last year.
He’s one of the rare hitters who actually performs better in SF, where he’s hit .321 / OBP of .381 / OPS 827.
with amazing defense. I think SF will have fun.
Ya never mind his 30+ bombs and 100+ RBI, focus on that he’s not a contact hitter. LaMonte Wade is a contact hitter who doesn’t strike out, how many runs has he knocked in lately? Posey is smart to value RBIs. You win games by scoring runs, not having high OBP and contact rates. Great signing!
Giants got a lot better and Giants fans got an easy dude to root for. Glad for Willy. He deserves all his success.
Nice, nice, nice
The Adames signing is an example of precisely why Giants’ ownership (of which Posey is part) made Buster the team’s Prez of Baseball Ops … he knows firsthand what’s required to put together quality teams that can win at the MLB level. Expect more smart signings from him as he rebuilds the Giants into legit contenders.
Keep in mind that not only is Posey one of the best catchers ever, an easy first-ballot HOF, and the on-field leader of three Giants WS championship teams … he’s also learned from two other “best-evers”: mgr. Bochy and G.M. Sabean.
Well, we’ll see how all that plays – but you made some excellent points.
Thank you, goob.
Well done Buster! Glad Farhan is GONE! Detested him from Day 1
I think hating on Farhan has passed it’s sell-by date.
We’re all extremely fortunate that Farhan’s gone and we didn’t have to watch him destroy the Giants for another year. In Posey we trust!!
How do signing bonuses count towards the total value? Is it $189 + $22 or is the the $22 already in the $189?
The $22M is in the total value, and it’s $182M not $189M.
I like the long term contracts. Much different from the Zaidi Fantasy Baseball Era.
Giants might have a chance to finish 3rd place if they can get Burnes.
This is a move the Zaidi regime wouldn’t have done. Zaidi wouldn’t have liked Adames low OBP & he would’ve been worried about giving up draft capital. Love the move because RBI’s are more important to me than OBP & Adames can get runners in. It sucks giving up the drafts but draft picks help 3 and 4 years down the line, but Adames gives us a proven high end, power SS. Great signing Buster. Now they need to get a SP, a proven RP, and a LH hitting first baseman. I love Posey’s approach. Hopefully Luciano can live up to his potential soon
And Zaidi would never have offered a 7 year contract to Adames. Buster’s done two big contracts in 2024, Chapman for 6 yrs and now Adames. I really disliked the 2 and 3 year deals with player opt outs after year one. Thank You Buster!
I agree, other than, we saw Farthands give up draft capital to sign multiple players. In the same year. This one. Only that season though. Because he was desperate to save his job.
Well sure, Zaidi offered long contracts to Harper, Ohtani, and Correa, but I don’t believe his heart was in it, and he didn’t close those deals. Adames is not a superstar, and I don’t recall Zaidi offering any non-superstar 5+ years. I agree – getting Burnes would be awesome!
Farhan gave up draft capital to sign Snell and Chapman to basically (1) year deals ….
I stand corrected
Now on to Burnes!
On this day on December 13, 1956, Jackie Robinson was traded by the Dodgers to the Giants.
Robinson elected to retire rather than play for the Giants.