New San Francisco Giants Star Shortstop Continues to Slug in Spring Training

The San Francisco Giants need a big season from their signature offseason acquisition, and everything about his spring training performance so far is a good sign.

Mar 15, 2025; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) hits against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Scottsdale Stadium. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants finally succeeded in their years-long quest to land one of the top free agents on the market.

New president of baseball operations and franchise catching legend Buster Posey made his first big splash in the role when he signed shortstop Willy Adames to a lucrative seven-year, $182-million contract.

Adames, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers has established himself as one of the best players in the league at his premier position, consistently grading out well on defense and developing into an above-average slugger with 30-home run upside.

The Giants had spent the past several offseasons big game hunting, falling just short of wooing Aaron Judge away from the New York Yankees and losing the bidding war for Shohei Ohtani's services to their bitter rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

There was also the deal with a different top-of-the-market shortstop, Carlos Correa, that fell apart due to issues with his medicals.

Adames is not of the same caliber as Judge or Ohtani, but his decision to sign with San Francisco is a major development for the organization, and it's one that puts some pressure both on Adames and the Giants to perform in 2025 to show the team is a desirable destination.

If the slugger is feeling any of that pressure, he is not showing any signs of it with his electric performance in spring training.

The 29-year-old clubbed his third home run of the spring on Sunday in a 7-3 win over the Athletics. In doing so, he took a quality MLB pitcher deep in Jeffrey Springs, his teammate with the 2021 Rays prior to his trade to the Brewers in the middle of the season.

Sunday's blast continued Adames' hot stretch of crushing the ball this spring, as he has now produced a slash line of .361/.425/.639 with the three homers to go with nine RBI and a pair of stolen bases in his first action with his new team.

Adames will be tasked with being the driving force for this lineup as the team looks to return to the postseason, but he will have help in the form of fellow veteran infielder Matt Chapman, who has also been on a tear in the spring.

There is also talented outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who was not outstanding in his first MLB campaign in 2024 which ended early due to injury. But he is also hitting the cover off the ball in spring training and had some very positive trends under the hood last year.