Should the San Francisco Giants Extend Their Veteran First Baseman Next Offseason?

The San Francisco Giants have some decisions to make when it comes to next offseason, one of which is whether or not to extend their veteran first baseman.

San Francisco Giants infielder LaMonte Wade Jr. hits an RBI single against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oracle Park. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have quite the list of veterans on their team, with five hitters on their projected Opening Day lineup having five or more years of MLB service time, and four of their five projected starting rotation pitchers having the same stipulation. These veterans will be a key piece to the roster improving over time and have been crucial in helping the younger players develop.

One of these critical veterans is first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. who has been with the Giants since 2021, and has continued to improve in his time with the team. The difficulty with this will be deciding whether or not to extend him for multiple seasons, and if so, what type of value he should receive on this new contract.

During this past offseason San Francisco was able to avoid arbitration and come to an agreement with Wade, giving him a one-year, $5 million deal with the entirety of it being guaranteed for the 2025 season. This gives them another year to decide whether or not he is worth retaining long-term, or if they want to move on instead.

According to Spotrac, his projected market value per season is set at around $7.2 million, which seems fair given the amount he got for 2025, and the fact that he may improve throughout this season compared to previous years. They believe he will get around a five-year, $36.18 million deal, or at least believe that is his contractual value.

Now, is he worth that amount to the Giants is the question that has to be asked, or would they rather let him go? Looking at his 2024 season, it would be hard not to justify that amount, given he had .260/.380/.381 slash lines, 45 runs, 34 RBI, and 90 strikeouts to 62 walks.

Additionally, his defense is spectacular at first base which helps his value, given he played 743 innings at the position in 2024, and had 650 putouts, 77 assists, 59 double plays turned, and only a single error, good for a .999 fielding rate.

2023 was a tough fielding year for him, giving up 10 errors at first base which led the National League. However, 2024 was a quality year for the veteran infielder, and if he can let loose some more power this season like he has been training to do, it would be difficult to find a reason not to keep him around for five more seasons. All he needs to do is stay healthy and perform up to the standards expected of him at this point in his career.