Willy Adames has reached a seven-year, $182 million agreement with the San Francisco Giants, giving the team a power-hitting shortstop in the prime of his career, according to a source familiar with the deal.
The source spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday but asked to remain anonymous because the agreement is still pending a physical. ESPN was the first to report the news.
This is a major move by the Giants’ new front office, now led by former All-Star catcher Buster Posey, who took over after Farhan Zaidi was fired in September. San Francisco has missed the playoffs for the past three seasons and just finished a disappointing 80-82 season.
Adames’ contract is the largest in the history of the franchise, surpassing the $167 million, eight-year extension that Posey signed in 2013, according to MLB.com.
Adames is now off the market as the Juan Soto sweepstakes heat up. Soto, the young slugger, is expected to make his free agency decision soon and could sign one of the biggest contracts in baseball history, potentially matching the $700 million, 10-year deal Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.
The 29-year-old Adames is coming off his best offensive season in the majors, having hit .251 with a career-high 32 home runs and 112 RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers. He is a strong defensive shortstop with a good arm and range, though his defensive numbers slightly declined in 2024.
Adames has also been a consistent power hitter, with 150 home runs over seven seasons. He debuted in the majors in 2018 with Tampa Bay and hit 20 home runs in his first full season in 2019.
Adames was traded to the Brewers in 2021 and had one of his best seasons in 2022, hitting 31 home runs with 98 RBIs and posting a 4.3 WAR.
Adames was originally signed by the Detroit Tigers in 2012 when he was just 16 years old in the Dominican Republic.
