Giants Trading Willy Adames to the Mets Would Come With a Massive Catch

The San Francisco Giants have seen their 2026 ship sink almost from the start. After getting out of the gates poorly in April, the team has been seemingly playing a game of catch-up for the last two months. Meanwhile, they've actually been losing ground all the way.

The Giants (31-46) have been taking one step forward and two steps back in a season where they expected to be much more competitive. Therefore, a restart of sorts should be underway in San Francisco, and one notable baseball voice believes he knows where the Giants should start.

Buster Olney of ESPN proposed that the Giants trade Willy Adames to the New York Mets in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien. Olney made his case recently when he discussed the matter of making moves.

"Pure speculation, but worth exploring for the Mets and Giants: A deal involving Willy Adames and Marcus Semien. The Giants would have to eat a good chunk of money in Adames's deal to make it happen, but Adames could play third, Bichette could move to second, and Semien would return to the Bay Area. SF has signaled a willingness to listen to offers for Adames, Chapman, [and] Devers]."

Can the Giants Afford to Trade Adames?

San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Olney's proposal probably wouldn't help much, but the thinking process is definitely on point. The team could dump the underachieving Adames in favor of a stopgap player - albeit a valuable one.

However, the San Francisco star is in just the second year of a seven-year, $182 million contract with the organization, which runs through the 2031 season. The Giants would have to absorb a huge percentage of that money, especially considering the former All-Star shortstop looks like he's the downside right now.

To add even more folly to their failure, their biggest rivals and two-time defending World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, are lapping the competition in Major League Baseball. The Boys from Tinsel Town currently lead the Giants by 18 games in the standings as they sit perched atop the NL West. Conversely, San Francisco is nine games out of the final Wild Card slot in late June.

Whatever moves they make from here, the Giants must be judicious in terms of what to do next. With the mind on who makes the most money, they have almost nothing to lose if they can secure lower-level talent for the rebuilding project, while hopefully being able to keep some cash in their pockets when it comes to Willy Adames.

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