Willy Adames agrees to seven-year deal with Giants

The San Francisco Giants have found their long-term answer in shortstop.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Saturday, citing sources, that the Giants have agreed to sign shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year contract worth $182 million, pending a physical.

It is the largest contract awarded in franchise history and marks Buster Posey’s first major move since taking on the role of president of baseball operations in October. Adames’ contract, which includes a $22 million signing bonus, exceeds Posey’s nine-year, $167 million contract extension he signed in 2013 as a 26-year-old catcher.

Adames, 29, hit the open market after spending four years each with the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. He was traded to the Brewers in May 2021 and developed into one of the game’s best hitters at the position, hitting at least 25 home runs in each of the last four years.

In 161 games with Milwaukee last season, Adames hit .251/.331/.462 while setting career highs in nearly every offensive category, including homers (32), doubles (33), RBIs (112) and stolen bases (21). .

Adames now holds the keys to shortstop at Oracle Park, a position San Francisco thought it had filled in free agency two years ago. In December 2022, the Giants agreed to sign shortstop Carlos Correa to a 13-year contract worth $350 million, but withdrew from the contract on the day of his scheduled introductory press conference due to concerns about his physical condition.

Adames’ deal is also currently subject to a physical exam.

As Correa enters the third season of the six-year contract he signed with the Minnesota Twins, the Giants appear to have finally found their cornerstone shortstop. And Posey has proven he can do what former manager Farhan Zaidi had difficulty doing: bring a star to the Bay Area on a long-term contract.