SF Giants agree to terms with former Mets All-Star OF Michael Conforto
The SF Giants have agreed to terms on a two-year, $36 million contract with longtime New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto. The deal allows Conforto to opt out after the 2023 season.
Conforto was one of the most consistent outfielders in MLB from 2015-2020, but has dealt with a serious shoulder injury that left him unsigned for the entire 2022 season. Conforto was ranked the 40th-best free agent in this offseason's class, per Giants Baseball Insider's rankings.
SF Giants outfielder Michael Conforto during his time with the Mets. (2021)
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
A 2017 National League All-Star selection, Conforto easily has the most offensive upside of any remaining free agent. Granted, that upside comes with a great deal of risk. In 2021, Conforto's final season with the Mets, he dealt with a shoulder injury that likely played a role in his career-worst .232/.344/.384 triple-slash.
He became a free agent last offseason, but remained unsigned because of a combination of factors. Teams were hesitant to make a long-term commitment to the corner outfielder given the state of his shoulder. He also seemed unlikely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, given his comments on the issue. Earlier this year, he was forced to undergo shoulder surgery, which removed any chance of him playing in 2022.
With fan morale at an all-time low after botching the Carlos Correa signing, adding a player with such an obvious health concern after nixing the Correa deal is understandably frustrating. There is no way around it. Regardless, the Giants have chosen to bet on a bounceback from Conforto.
Conforto was consistently an above-average hitter for the bulk of his career with the Mets. A Seattle, Washington native, Conforto hit .259/.358/.484 with 30 home runs per 162 games from 2015-2020. In fact, Conforto hit at least 27 homers in a season for three consecutive years from 2017-2019. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Conforto was even better. He posted an exceptional .322/.412/.515 line with 12 doubles and 9 home runs in 54 games (32.4 and 24.3, respectively, when paced over a 162-game season).
Defensively, Conforto has played all three outfield positions over the course of his career, including center field. However, he has played almost exclusively right field since 2020. He has generally received above-average marks in most advanced analytics as a defender in right and left field.
Assuming Michael Conforto passes his physical, the SF Giants will have a lot of options in the outfield corners. Mitch Haniger, their largest signing of the offseason, will likely start opposite of Conforto, with other options like Blake Sabol, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Luis González vying for playing time as well. The deal does seem to solidify Austin Slater and Mike Yastrzemski in a center field platoon.
