SAN FRANCISCO — As a player for the Giants, Buster Posey had a way of making the game slow down. He would rest in the squat and stare up at a hitter, looking patiently for a tell that he could use before calling the next pitch. With a bat in his hand, he would wait until he knew all he needed to about an incoming pitch and then deftly shoot it into center field.
On Saturday, Posey showed he can be pretty effective when he has to hurry.
With the start of MLB’s Winter Meetings just hours away, Posey made his first significant move as president of baseball operations, reportedly agreeing to a seven-year, $182 million contract with shortstop Willy Adames. It was a thunderbolt for an industry anxiously awaiting the Juan Soto decision, and that’s what makes the timing so perfect for the Giants.
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Adames loomed as an obvious backup plan to big-market teams that missed out on Soto, but Posey and the Giants made sure he won't be available, meeting the price before others could get more involved. It was a high price, too.
At $182 million, the deal is $15 million more than the previous record contract for a Giant. Posey knows that first number well — it’s his signature on the contract.
That massive extension was followed a few years later by big deals for Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt, and in a way, Posey is borrowing from that playbook. He wants the Giants to return to their pitching-and-defense roots and he made it clear that upgrading the infield was his first priority.
The Adames pact comes on the heels of a six-year, $151 million extension for Matt Chapman that Posey got involved in as a member of ownership and commits the Giants to a $300 million left side of the infield. It’s one that will be powerful, as Chapman and Adames combined for 59 homers last year. Moving Tyler Fitzgerald and his 20-homer potential to second base full-time will help, too.
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The Giants hope their infield is now set for most of the rest of the decade. Chapman and Adames are signed long-term, Fitzgerald just finished his rookie season, and top prospect Bryce Eldridge plans to land at first base at some point in the upcoming season. It’s potentially a very powerful quartet, although Adames does come with one notable question mark.
The 29-year-old took a step back defensively last year, per advanced metrics, with Outs Above Average putting him roughly league average after he was worth 26 total OAA the previous two seasons. Even if there has been some slippage, the Giants are well-positioned to handle it, as Chapman’s range makes life a lot easier for his shortstop. Team officials also believe Fitzgerald has the potential to be well above average defensively at second.
If there comes a day when Adames has to move off short, the Giants will deal with it. For now, they're hoping he can jolt a lineup that desperately needs another middle-of-the-order bat. Oracle Park spares no one, but Adames at least has a track record of success there, with a .321/.381/.446 slash line and two homers in 16 games.
The Giants had interest in both Adames and Ha-Seong Kim, but the latter came with serious concerns about his shoulder and not nearly as much pop. The Adames deal is pending a physical, which will bring back some sour memories given this is a long-term deal for a shortstop, but the Giants now can enter the Winter Meetings with plenty of flexibility as they aim to fill their other significant roster holes.
If Posey wants to bump his contract down to No. 3 on the list, Corbin Burnes would be the guy. If ownership -- including Posey -- decides that two massive contracts (Adames and Chapman) in one year are enough, they can dip into the second and third tiers in search of another starting pitcher.
Like with any big contract for a player approaching his 30th birthday, only time will tell if the Giants made the right call. But Posey at least sent a message in his first offseason in charge. It sure appears that the new boss knows what needs to be done to close the deal with a marquee free agent, and that's a step in the right direction for an organization that had gotten used to finishing second.
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