After several winters of futility, the San Francisco Giants have found a free agent willing to take a lot of money.
Shortstop Willy Adames, formerly of the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Giants have reportedly agreed to a seven-year contract worth $182 million. The deal was first reported by ESPN.
The deal, which has yet to be confirmed by the Giants, is the largest in franchise history and the first major move under the team’s new president of baseball operations, Buster Posey. Ranked fifth on Yahoo Sports’ Top 50 Free Agent List, Adames was considered by some to be the second-best offensive player on the market, behind only superstar Juan Soto.
Over the past two seasons, San Francisco, then under former POBO Farhan Zaidi, made spirited attacks on the market’s biggest fish. At every turn, the Giants struck out or were thwarted by fate. Aaron Judge used the Giants as leverage before returning to the Bronx. Shohei Ohtani thought about San Francisco, but always had his sights set on Los Angeles. And in December 2022, a pact with Carlos Correa was bizarrely dissolved at the eleventh hour after a medical examination revealed problems with the shortstop’s ankle. Instead, he signed with the Minnesota Twins.
But now the Giants finally have an offensive catalyst to build around. Adames, who finished 10th in the NL MVP voting this season, represents an obvious candidate for a team in dire need of firepower. The exuberant 29-year-old has hit 112 home runs since the start of 2022, tying with Corey Seager for the most by a shortstop during that span. Offensively, Adames’ 2024 season was one of his best, with career highs in home runs and RBI. He’s always been a high-strikeout player, but he offers rare juice for a shortstop.
The Giants will grab whatever power they can get. In 2024, San Francisco finished mediocre or worse in most offensive categories. Finishing one game under .500, the club was competent but painfully forgettable and a far cry from the torrid pace of the Dodgers, Padres and Diamondbacks in the NL West.
That unfortunate finish led to the ouster of Zaidi and the shocking arrival of Posey, a franchise legend and likely Hall of Famer who last played in 2021. Since taking over, the new head honcho has been vocal about his desire to restore a winning culture to the Bay. . Adames, loved and respected around baseball as a great presence in the clubhouse, will help with that goal.
Yet this groundbreaking contract remains a surprise. Multiple reports earlier this season indicated that the Giants were expecting a pay cut starting in 2025. That said, even with Adames’ $26 million per year, San Francisco is about $26 million below last season’s $206 million spend.
For Adames, the deal is a big win.
Most projections correctly identified its average annual value, but few predicted a seventh year. The total surpasses the seven-year, $177 million pact that Dansby Swanson and the Cubs made before the 2023 season, a contract that many saw as a potential deal. Adames had expressed a willingness to move to other positions in the field if necessary, but that won’t be necessary at Oracle Park as hot-corner wizard Matt Chapman recently agreed to an extension that will keep him in San Francisco until 2030.
Whether Posey and the Giants are ready this winter remains to be seen. The club has some notable needs, most notably a power-oriented corner outfielder and a new starting pitcher to replace the departed Blake Snell. As currently constructed, the Giants remain behind Los Angeles and San Diego in the NL West.
The deal with Adames is good, but Posey and Co. must continue.
