San Francisco Giants Fan Favorite Veteran Infielder Faces Easy Opt-Out Decision

The San Francisco Giants will almost certainly have to pay this veteran.

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are facing the severe need to upgrade across the lineup after missing the postseason for the seventh time in the last eight years while the roster has simply not been good enough as of late.

One player who went into the 2024 season looking to take the next step coming off of a career best 2023 was utility infielder Wilmer Flores, but it just didn't really work out for the veteran as he suffered through numerous injuries throughout the season. Flores went from 126 games played in 2023 to just 71 in 2024 with his numbers dropping like a rock as well.

From a career best .863 OPS to a career worst .595, Flores was simply a different player this season than he was the previous season as it became apparent that injuries were impacting him. When it comes to what the Giants are going to do with the struggling Flores, they may not end up having much of a choice as to whether to keep him or not. While there is a mutual option, Flores will have the chance to opt in for $3.5 million, something that Jeff Young of Around the Foghorn says is all but a guarantee.

"The good news is that Flores has assurances of guaranteed money in 2025. If he was an unrestricted free agent, he might struggle to get a major league deal given how badly he hit in 2024," Young wrote. "Flores will exercise his player option for next season. This could be a case where he begins the offseason on the books while the Giants look to move the veteran bat."

If Flores somehow declines his option, there is an $8.5 million option on the team's end, a number San Francisco certainly would not pay rather than letting him hit free agency.

It's not a great situation the team finds themselves in owing a chunk of change to a player who was a liability at the plate this season, but given that the Giants will likely be paying him regardless, Flores will get the chance to prove that he's recovered from his various injuries and that the player he was in 2023 is still who he is in 2025.