Giants Could Have Long-Term Concerns With Pricy Slugger Not Living up to Contract

When Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations of the San Francisco Giants, he knew he was facing a tall task.

The team had been mediocre since he retired following the 2021 campaign, the last time they made the postseason.

There was a lot of work to be done with the roster, especially with the lineup. The pitching staff was solid on paper, but it was going to be a challenge to consistently score runs with the group currently constructed.

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So, Posey got aggressive in free agency.

Early on, he agreed to a massive seven-year, $182 million deal with shortstop Willy Adames, formerly of the Milwaukee Brewers.

It was the largest contract in franchise history, a move that killed two birds with one stone.

Shortstop was deemed the biggest need for the franchise heading into the offseason and Adames is regarded as one of the most impactful offensive players at the position.

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Coming off a career year in which he hit 32 home runs and 33 doubles to go along with 112 RBI and 21 stolen bases, the Giants were hoping he would be the kind of impact bat the team was seeking.

Alas, that hasn’t been the case early in his tenure with the team.

Adams has a .209/.297/.340 slash line through 83 games and 354 plate appearances. An 84 OPS+ would be the lowest of his career, as he has hit only nine home runs and 11 doubles thus far.

That production is cause for concern long-term, with his contract looking more and more like an albatross, and you cannot even blame the pitcher-friendly conditions of Oracle Park.

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“However, he has been struggling indiscriminately, both home and away. What had been a .444 career slugging percentage has turned into a .355 mark at home and a .329 mark away thus far,” wrote Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report.

A glass half-full view of this would be that a pitcher-friendly park hasn’t been the problem for Adames to this point.

But, that kind of production will not cut it. He is being paid to be an impact performer in the lineup and to this point, it has not happened.

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The arrival of Rafael Devers will help take pressure off of Adames, who has legitimate protection in the lineup now with him and Matt Chapman.

Another thing to keep an eye on is his defense.

Adames looks to have gotten back on track with his glove after an abysmal showing defensively in 2024. He started slowly in 2025, but is now in the 78th percentile with a Fielding Run Value of +2.

His Outs Above Average of +2 is in the 86th percentile, so at least he is providing an impact in one area early on.

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