Giants and shortstop Willy Adams they agreed to a seven-year, $182MM contract according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported that negotiations between the parties were “intense.” Passan added that the CAA Sports client will receive a $22MM signing bonus as part of the contract, the largest in Giants history, over Buster PoseyAn eight-year, $159MM deal with the team.
Adames, 29, was the best shortstop on the market this winter and he goes to a team that has made its desire to move up at the position this winter. They have done this by bringing in one of the league’s strongest players on both sides of the ball to fill the position.
Adames has earned at least 3.1 fWAR and 3.0 bWAR in each of his five full seasons, with 162 games in the majors thanks to that consistency. A 109 career wRC+ hitter who hit a solid .251/.331/.462 (119 wRC+) with Milwaukee in 2024, the addition of Adames as a middle-of-the-pack bat should help improve a Giants offense that only managed 98 wRC+ last year.
While San Francisco’s 112 wRC+ at shortstop last year is a solid number, much of that production was due to a multi-positional bat. Tyler Fitzgeraldwho took the position below but was a decent outfielder with a -4 Outs Above Average last year. Adames was only worth a +1 OAA stat last year but posted impressive +16 and +10 stats in the metric in 2022 and ’23 and should be a big upgrade on the club’s defense making for a versatile tandem with the third baseman. . Matt Chapman on the left side of the infield. That combination of above-average offense and defense at a premium spot on the diamond was enough to make Adames the #5 free agent on MLBTR’s annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list last month, where we predicted a six-year deal for $160MM. short stop.
Adames was able to top that forecast in one year and $22MM, which isn’t much of a shock given the small domestic market and Adames’ wide range of suitors. The Yankees, Phillies, Astros, Braves, Blue Jays, and Red Sox have all been linked to Adames in recent weeks, and a number of suitors seem drawn to his willingness to leave the shortstop for a deal. That made him an attractive option for clubs like the Yankees and Astros, whose potential position changes make Adames an interesting “Plan B” option if they fail to re-sign existing sluggers. Juan Soto again Alex Bregman given their apparent comfort with an active shortstop Anthony Volpe again Jeremy Pena.
However, Adames finally has a club that seems to play him at shortstop every day. Fitzgerald, who hit .280/.334/.497 (132 wRC+) in 96 games with the team last year, appears to be in line for the lion’s share of play in the second division as he has been lost at shortstop. and has experience both inside and outside that can lead to multiple positions if needed. With high hopes of the former Marco Luciano and young people who like it Heliot Ramos, Luis Matosagain Grant McCray which may have an impact on the composition of the team for next year and those present Jung Hoo Lee again Mike Yastrzemskiit is impossible to imagine the addition of Adames leaving the club more or less set on the side of the position.
Even if San Francisco doesn’t make any more additions to their pitching staff, questions remain about their plans for the rest of the season. Earlier reports indicated that the club plans to enter 2025 with less money than 2024, and RosterResource indicates that signing Adames left the club with a projected salary of $180MM in 2025. That’s $26MM less than their last cap hit for the 2024 season, which would be accompanied by a salary cut if the club doesn’t make other moves. The Giants have also been heavily rumored to start playing this winter, however, and have been linked to the first free agent. Corbin Burns just last week.
Signing Burnes over Adames would certainly push their salary to or exceed 2024 levels, which could suggest a change in their payroll or an intention to reduce salary elsewhere, perhaps by trading for a player like Yastrzemski or a first baseman. LaMonte Wade Jr. It’s also worth noting that the Giants forfeited their second- and fifth-round draft picks (plus $100K in international bonus money) to sign Adames. That could make the club reluctant to sign another eligible free agent like Burnes to preserve their cap space, or San Francisco may be more daring to sign another eligible because the draft penalty becomes more severe for additional signings. . For example, signing Burnes now would only cost the Giants their second and fifth top picks in next year’s draft. after count the draft picks discarded to sign Adames, meaning they would essentially be giving up what were their third- and seventh-highest picks in the draft at the start of the offseason.
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