SF Giants agree to one-year, $1.375 million deal with LaMonte Wade Jr.
The SF Giants agreed to a one-year, $1.375 million deal with first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr, a source told Giants Baseball Insider. Wade is coming off a down 2022 season but the team's front office has remained outwardly confident that he will bounce back and be able to replicate his 2021 success.
SF Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (2022)
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Players are subjected to several years of arbitration as part of the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and MLBPA before they reach free agency. If a team does not reach an agreement with an arbitration-eligible player, both sides will make a case for a specific salary number for an arbitrator, who will rule in one side's favor. There are obvious reasons for teams to try and avoid going to arbitration. Several players have openly discussed being hurt by arbitration proceedings, where teams are incentivized to make a case that a player is worse and deserves a lower salary.
The Giants, of course, acquired Wade during the 2020-21 offseason in a trade from the Minnesota Twins. After struggling in his brief big-league stints with the Twins, Wade became a sensation in San Francisco. Wade hit .253/.326/.482 with 18 home runs in 109 games and had a penchant for coming through in clutch situations. By the end of the year, he had been tabbed "Late Night LaMonte."
However, as with the rest of the Giants roster, Wade saw his production dip in 2022. Wade missed a good chunk of the season on the injured list, but when active, he hit .207/.305/.359 with just 7 doubles and 8 home runs in 77 games, raising questions about whether he would be non-tendered this offseason.
Despite his struggles last season, the Giants front office clearly believes his true form is closer to his 2021 levels of production than 2022. With spring training right around the corner, the SF Giants inked LaMonte Wade Jr. to a one-year, $1.375 million deal.
