The San Francisco Giants were determined not to miss out in free agency again this year, opting to dole out a franchise record 7 year, $182M contract to free agent infielder Willy Adames.
According to reports, Adames will receive a $22M signing bonus, and will become the most lucrative free agent ever signed in Giants history. The deal is worth $15M more than what catcher turned President of Baseball Operations, Buster Posey, received back in 2013.
Multiple teams, including the Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays and Dodgers were reportedly interested in the Dominican born shortstop’s services. However, San Francisco was by far the most aggressive in their pursuit of his bat.
Adames had a career year in 2024 in which he blasted 32 home runs, stole 21 bases, and drove in 112 RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers. Those figures represent a stark improvement from his 2023 campaign in which he hit 24 HRs, had 80 RBIs, and stole only 5 bases. He also saw his batting average jump 34 points from .217 to .251 from 2023 to 2024, meaning the Giants are banking heavily on last year being the new norm for the 29 year old and not an outlier.
San Francisco missed out on numerous free agents over the last several seasons, most notably Aaron Judge who appeared headed to the Bay Area before changing course and re-upping with the Yankees. However more than a few insiders have openly questioned some of the moves the club has made recently in their bid to return to the postseason.
From the outside looking in, it would appear as though the Giants are trying to keep up with the spending habits of their cross town rivals in Los Angeles. However, where the Dodgers are throwing big money at the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Blake Snell, San Francisco has largely been locking up solid, if not unspectacular players often coming off career years.
With the addition of Adames, and hopefully a full season out of last year’s prized acquisition, outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, the Giants front office believes that improvements along the fringes, and another step forward from their existing core will be enough to compete in the NL West.
Lee, who was limited to just 37 games in 2024, will be back to full health prior to spring training after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He, along with Adames, will join a batting order that will also feature Matt Chapman, and Mike Yastrzemski amongst others.
Posey and the rest of the Giants brass are believed to still be in the market for an upgrade at 1st base, and possibly DH, as well as a front of the rotation starter as free agency continues. Former New York Mets 1B Pete Alonso has been linked to the club in recent weeks, and ownership has made no effort to hide the fact that they’re very interested in SP Corbin Burnes as well.
Whether either of those signings ultimately materialize remains to be seen, but San Francisco is far from done tinkering with their roster in the lead up to 2025.
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