SF Giants veteran outfielder surprisingly decides to opt-in for 2024

The SF Giants will not be watching veteran outfielder Michael Conforto (34th-best free agent) depart in free agency this offseason. According to a report by Jon

Marc Delucchi | Nov 6, 2023

SF Giants veteran outfielder surprisingly decides to opt-in for 2024 /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants will not be watching veteran outfielder Michael Conforto (34th-best free agent) depart in free agency this offseason. According to a report by Jon Heyman of The NY Post, Conforto has decided to opt into his contract and return to San Francisco with an $18 million salary in 2024. The news is somewhat surprising given the state of the free-agent market. In fact, it had been reported late in the season that the Giants front office expected him to opt out.

SF Giants designated hitter Michael Conforto rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Oracle Park on August 12, 2023. — SF Giants DH Michael Conforto rounds the bases after hitting a home run. (2023) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Conforto, 30, signed a two-year, $36 million deal with San Francisco ahead of the 2023 season. Since he reached 350 plate appearances, a threshold he bypassed on July 30, the second year of the contract transformed into a player option. However, after hitting .244/.338/.393 with 13 doubles and 15 home runs in 119 games this season, he has opted to pass on returning to free agency.

Conforto was consistently an above-average hitter for the bulk of his career with the Mets. A Seattle, Washington native, Conforto hit .259/.358/.484 with 30 home runs per 162 games from 2015-2020. In fact, Conforto hit at least 27 homers in a season for three consecutive years from 2017-2019. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Conforto was even better. He posted an exceptional .322/.412/.515 line with 12 doubles and 9 home runs in 54 games (32.4 and 24.3, respectively, when paced over a 162-game season).

In 2021, however, Conforto struggled to a career-worst .232/.344/.384 triple-slash and had his campaign cut short by injuries. While he became a free agent, he sat out the entire 2022 season because of shoulder surgery.

The Giants hoped the year off would allow him to bounce back to his previous form. He showed flashes of the ability to carry an offense, he struggled with inconsistency and was hampered by calf and hamstring injuries.

Conforto is known for his excellent plate approach, which he maintained in 2023. However, his otherwise mediocre offensive performance on the surface made it seem unlikely he would want to opt out. However, Conforto’s reasonable age, he’ll be entering his age-31 season, track record of success, and an incredibly thin free-agent market seemed to maybe give him an avenue to a more lucrative multi-year deal.

With Michael Conforto opting into his contract with the SF Giants, San Francisco now has every member of their 2023 outfield, with the exception of Joc Pederson, under team control through next season. Given the team's offensive struggles, though, it's hard to imagine there will not be some notable changes over the next few months either via trade or free agency.

Published Nov 6, 2023

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).