San Francisco Giants Could Sign Expensive Superstar Shortstop in MLB Free Agency
The San Francisco Giants are entering a critical offseason on the heels of seven missed postseasons in the last eight years during what has been a brutal era for baseball in the Bay Area.
Outside of a lone outlier 107-win 2021 season, the Giants haven't even been close for the better part of the last decade on the heels of winning three World Series championships in five years to begin the 2010s. Frustrated with the poor quality on-field product, the team let president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi go this offseason and installed team legend Buster Posey in his place.
One of the first things San Francisco said after Posey's hiring was the intention of hiring a general manager, but as things sit right now, Posey is the one making the decisions for the team. Could the catcher who was a part of all three World Series titles get aggressive in order to vault the franchise he loves back into contention sooner rather than later? The Giants have never been afraid to spend money, and this offseason should be no different. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report named the Giants as one of the potential suitors for Milwaukee Brewers superstar shortstop Willy Adames after Adames put up the best season of his career in 2024.
"If you want to sign a shortstop this winter who can hit 15 home runs—let alone 30 of them—on an annual basis for the next half-decade, it's Adames or bust," Miller wrote. "That scarcity might be the key to him getting an eight-year or nine-year deal worth $200 million or more if it turns into a bidding war among the Dodgers, Giants, Braves and Blue Jays."
There are a couple of factors that will likely keep Adames from becoming a Giant. For one, rookie Tyler Fitzgerald was extremely solid over his 96 games played in 2024 and offers San Francisco an in-house and obviously much cheaper option than Adames. Of course, Fitzgerald could migrate over to second base, but the argument can be made that he should be kept there.
Throw on top the fact that San Francisco just spent top dollar on the left side of the infield by extending Matt Chapman to a six-year, $151 million deal, and the team bringing Adames in just doesn't feel all that likely. While the luxury of plugging in an instant offensive star at one of the premiere positions on the diamond may be tempting, the Giants would be better served spending money elsewhere.