The San Francisco Giants took a big swing, missing out on Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, but were unable to land the biggest free agent acquisition of the past two winters.
This time, they tried a different tactic by excluding Juan Soto from the sweepstakes, but still landed him the biggest contract in franchise history.
The Giants and shortstop Willie Adames have agreed to a seven-year contract worth $182 million, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been finalized.
Adames, 29, hit 32 home runs with the Milwaukee Brewers last year, marking the second time in the past three seasons he has hit 30 home runs. He was the starting shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series, was traded to Milwaukee a year later, and emerged as one of the most reliable sources of power for middle infielders.
That comes at some cost. Adames is prone to strikeouts, and although he had 173 strikeouts last season, his strikeout rate never fell below 25%. His productivity can fluctuate from year to year, as his adjusted OPS from 2021 to 2024 has ranged from 121 to 110 to 94 to 118.
But he would add a lot of dimension to the largely punchless Giants, who have hovered in the 80-win range since winning a franchise-high 107 games in 2021.
After three years of mediocrity, baseball operations director Farhan Zaidi was fired and replaced by future Hall of Famer Buster Posey. Posey previously received the largest contract in Giants history, a $167 million extension, which will see him end his playing career in 2022.
Now, it’s Adams who holds that distinction. It’s questionable whether he can maintain his impressive power numbers as he ages. But there’s no denying the instant punch he provides in center field, taking pressure off young slugging infielder Tyler Fitzgerald, who hit 15 home runs last season and will likely move to second base.
Contributor: Bob Nightengale
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Willie Adams’ contract with Giants: $182 million, largest in science fiction history
