SF Giants agree to one-year, $2.25 million deal with Thairo Estrada

The SF Giants avoided arbitration with their most exciting young position-player, signing infielder Thairo Estrada to a one-year, $2.25 million deal.

Marc Delucchi | Jan 13, 2023

SF Giants agree to one-year, $2.25 million deal with Thairo Estrada /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants avoided arbitration with infielder Thairo Estrada, agreeing to a one-year, $2.25 million deal, according to a report by Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. Estrada emerged as arguably the best position player on the Giants in 2022, making huge strides in San Francisco after he was acquired for cash considerations from the New York Yankees.

SF Giants shortstop Thairo Estrada singles against the Cubs. (2022) / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Players are subjected to several years of arbitration as part of the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and MLBPA before they reach free agency. If a team does not reach an agreement with an arbitration-eligible player, both sides will make a case for a specific salary number for an arbitrator, who will rule in one side's favor. There are obvious reasons for teams to try and avoid going to arbitration. Several players have openly discussed being hurt by arbitration proceedings, where teams are incentivized to make a case that a player is worse and deserves a lower salary.

Estrada first carved out a role for himself on the Giants roster as a platoon bat in 2021. During the team's 107-win campaign, Estrada hit .273/.333/.479 in 52 games with 7 home runs. Primarily coming off the bench, Estrada showed off his defensive versatility, appearing at second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and right field.

In 2022, while Estrada still moved around the diamond, he finished the season as the team's everyday second baseman. He hit .260/.322/.400 with 22 doubles, 14 home runs, and 21 stolen bases in 140 games. He posted those numbers while playing through injuries late in the season. Set to turn 27 in February, Estrada is one of the few players slated for a prominent role on the Giants next season under the age of 30.

Since the SF Giants were unable to land a premium shortstop this offseason, Thairo Estrada seems locked into an everyday role up the middle. Estrada will likely be manager Gabe Kapler's primary second baseman but could shift to shortstop against left-handed pitching when the team could try to rest veteran Brandon Crawford.

Published Jan 13, 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).