Well, that’s one domino that went on to fall down. Juan Soto remains out there, but Willy Adames is the next big fish to sign a contract. Adames is headed to the Bay Area, as he signed a seven year deal with the San Francisco Giants. It’s for $182 million and the Giants finally strike gold.

After the last few off seasons of missing out on big time players such as Aaron Judge and even Carlos Correa due to his medical records, this is a really good grab for the Giants. Adding caliber talent to compete on a division that’s arguably one of the best in baseball is huge for them headed into 2025 and what Adames brings to the table is even better.

Defense, Defense, and more Defense

When you look at the left side of the infield, that’s a salivating group defensively. The Giants already made quick work by signing third baseman Matt Chapman to an extension. This was a huge move for the Giants and a great one at that. Bob Melvin had very strong words about Chapman even going back prior to the original signing.

“He’s one of my favorite players, not because he’s so good, but because of the way he goes about playing the game,” Williams told reporters, via Emerman. “His work ethic is off the charts … And then, of course, the talent. For me anyway, he’s the best I’ve seen at the position.”

Chapman is an elite defensive third baseman and is steady on the hot corner. Melvin now may have another favorite player to work with. Add Adames and his defense at the short stop position, and the left side of the infield is in good shape.

Best thing about Adames is his versatility, as he can play both second baseman and short stop. Primarily, he has played short stop and has done it effectively. Adames has been a defensive runs machine at the position, finishing with a career best nine in 2022. That aspect of his defense slipped in 2024 to -16, which was a major drop from 2023 (8). When it comes to fielding and his ability to get more outs than his peers he has excelled.

2019 was the start of one of his best years. When it came to outs above average, Adames finished in the 94th percentile. He had two seasons where it dropped, but it went back to being elite in 2022 (96th percentile) and 2023 (99th percentile). He finished in the 67th percentile in 2024 and has 15 outs above average for his career.

The Giants notably struggled at the short stop position defensively. They ranked 26th in defensive runs saved (-11) and 24th in outs above average (-3). Adding Adames will help in the field and hopefully at the plate too.

Adames Hopes to Build Off Career Season

It was quite the season for the Milwaukee Brewers, but also for Adames at the plate. Adames had a massive season for the Brewers and was one of his best seasons.

His slash line was quite impressive with .251/.331/.462/.784. Also, his 119 wRC+ was the third most of his career, showing his offensive impact. It was not just the slash line that was impressive, but the damage he did while at the plate.

Adames had the most hits in a single season for his career (153). On top of that, he was an extra base hit machine for the Brewers with 33 doubles and 32 home runs. The 32 home runs was a career high and he drove in a career high 112 runs. Now this is all fine and dandy and will be a massive blessing to a Giants offense that finished middle of the pack in average and OPS.

The main concern with Adames is the strikeouts. He strikes out A LOT. This season saw him strikeout the most times in his career for one season (173). In his career his strikeout percentages are quite high:

2018: 29.4%

2019: 26.2%

2020: 36.4%

2021: 28.1%

2022: 26.9%

2023: 25.9%

2024: 25.1%

That’s a big percentage to strikeout. He will generate his walks, which is a plus. If he can lower the strikeout rate that’ll be a huge bonus. Adames is one heck of a player and immediately provides a boost to the club all around.

Good Move for the Giants

This is a good move for the Giants. Adames is a good baseball player and brings elements to the diamond that make the Giants better. He gives them better defense at the position and also has his bat to help provide a boost. Adames is finally the big catch they’ve been wanting to add for quite some time, and it’ll be good to see how he performs after his big pay day.