SF Giants agree to one-year, $4.7 million contract with Thairo Estrada

The SF Giants agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration with second baseman Thairo Estrada, per multiple reports.

Marc Delucchi | Jan 11, 2024

SF Giants agree to one-year, $4.7 million contract with Thairo Estrada /

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San Francisco Giants

With the MLB arbitration deadline set for this afternoon, the SF Giants entered the day with three arbitration-eligible players still in need of new deals. The first to get out of the way was second baseman Thairo Estrada, who agreed to a one-year, $4.7 million contract with the team. The deal was first reported by Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and confirmed by a source to Giants Baseball Insider.

SF Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada (39) addresses the crowd after winning the WIllie Mac award before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park. — SF Giants 2B Thairo Estrada gives a speech after winning the Willie Mac award. (2023) / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Thairo Estrada, who had one of the best years of his career in 2023, going .271/.315/.416 with 14 home runs and a career-high 23 stolen bases, was the Giants' Willie Mac Award winner. At just 27 years old, he's a quiet leader in the clubhouse and a no-brainer for the Giants to bring back as a cornerstone for their infield. His league-wide second highest outs above average at 19 is the highest by a Giant in the statcast era.

The reigning Willie Mac Award winner, Estrada was one of the most exciting players on the Giants roster last season. While he finished the campaign hitting .271/.315/.416 with 14 home runs and 23 stolen bases, the 27-year old had gotten off to a scorching hot start before he was sidelined for several weeks with a fractured hand after he was hit by a pitch. He remained a solid contributor and elite defender upon his return, but was unable to match his early-season offensive production. His deal for 2024 will give him a significant raise from his $2.25 million salary this past season.

Estrada was once a top prospect with the New York Yankees but was usurped by other players in the organization and seemed to plateau as a depth infield piece. The Giants capitalized on a Bronx Bombers' roster crunch and acquired Estrada in a minor trade for cash considerations that ranks among the best moves of Farhan Zaidi's tenure. Estrada quickly proved to be a valuable platoon bat with the team in 2021, but emerged as the Giants starting second baseman in 2022.

Published Jan 11, 2024

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).