SF Giants veteran outfielder surprisingly decides to opt-in for 2024
The SF Giants will not be watching veteran outfielder Michael Conforto (34th-best free agent) depart in free agency this offseason. According to a report by Jon Heyman of The NY Post, Conforto has decided to opt into his contract and return to San Francisco with an $18 million salary in 2024. The news is somewhat surprising given the state of the free-agent market. In fact, it had been reported late in the season that the Giants front office expected him to opt out.
SF Giants DH Michael Conforto rounds the bases after hitting a home run. (2023)
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Conforto, 30, signed a two-year, $36 million deal with San Francisco ahead of the 2023 season. Since he reached 350 plate appearances, a threshold he bypassed on July 30, the second year of the contract transformed into a player option. However, after hitting .244/.338/.393 with 13 doubles and 15 home runs in 119 games this season, he has opted to pass on returning to free agency.
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).
In 2021, however, Conforto struggled to a career-worst .232/.344/.384 triple-slash and had his campaign cut short by injuries. While he became a free agent, he sat out the entire 2022 season because of shoulder surgery.
The Giants hoped the year off would allow him to bounce back to his previous form. He showed flashes of the ability to carry an offense, he struggled with inconsistency and was hampered by calf and hamstring injuries.
Conforto is known for his excellent plate approach, which he maintained in 2023. However, his otherwise mediocre offensive performance on the surface made it seem unlikely he would want to opt out. However, Conforto’s reasonable age, he’ll be entering his age-31 season, track record of success, and an incredibly thin free-agent market seemed to maybe give him an avenue to a more lucrative multi-year deal.
With Michael Conforto opting into his contract with the SF Giants, San Francisco now has every member of their 2023 outfield, with the exception of Joc Pederson, under team control through next season. Given the team's offensive struggles, though, it's hard to imagine there will not be some notable changes over the next few months either via trade or free agency.
