A Giant Step Forward

 

The San Francisco Giants are a fascinating team, because they do have the money for big contracts but they also know when to let things develop. They really only have four big pieces locked down for a bit- Matt Chapman, Logan Webb, Jung-Hoo Lee and Jordan Hicks, and a couple more years of Robbie Ray, but they have control over Patrick Bailey, Tyler Fitzgerald, Heliot Ramos, Kyle Harrison and Ryan Walker for a while, and at the very least have another year of both LaMonte Wade and Mike Yastrzemski. 

So you look at this lineup, and it's incredible how much is not only hammered down, but really works. The outfield is Yaz-Ramos-Lee, that's great. Wade and Chapman have the corner spots, Bailey has the backstop. The bullpen's good for a while, the rotation has lots of depth. The only real question marks are in the middle infield and at DH. The plan was probably to go Wisely-Fitzgerald at 2nd and SS, and probably Flores at DH. But the middle infield feels limited, especially by comparison.

You look back at the deal the Giants had in the works for Carlos Correa in 2023, and that could have solved a lot of problems. But ultimately, that lapsed, Correa re-signed with Minnesota, SS/2B remained open til Fitzgerald showed up. 

What today's move to sign Willy Adames for the next seven years tells me is that the Giants can be flexible with Tyler Fitzgerald, especially where he plays in the field, if that means they get Adames playing excellent shortstop through his peak. I'd take that bet. That's worth it to me.

The Dodgers are likely gonna be the alpha in the NL West next season, especially if they keep buying. But this Giants lineup is right there with them. If Yaz, Bailey, Wade and now Adames all stay healthy, they could improve on their previous seasons and finally bring Bob Melvin a worthy season as manager. Adames is gonna deliver both as a great power bat as well as at SS. Like Trea Turner, there's the occasional defensive worry, but hopefully he's hitting enough that it doesn't matter. I honestly think Adames is a better fit for the Giants than Correa would have been, because Adames doesn't NEED to be the star. He can work his way up and do so if need be, but he can also be a tremendous team piece and a consistent producer, again like Trea Turner, without having to have the spotlight on him at all times. And that's at least something Correa's learned how to do in Minneapolis that I'm not sure if he would have figured out in SF.

I see this deal as a major leveling up for the Giants, and a proclamation that they're in the conversation going forward. The NL West is gonna be jammed next year, and I think the Giants have what it takes to squeeze through.