Friars Fall Behind: NL West Rival’s $182 Million Signing Put Padres in Disadvantage at…
The San Diego Padres have been relatively quiet in the early stages of the offseason, but their National League West rivals have already made a huge splash. The San Francisco Giants signed free agent shortstop Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million deal on Saturday.
The signing indicates the Giants likely won’t pursue Ha-Seong Kim. It was reported earlier this week that the Padres free agent had garnered interest from the San Francisco club.
Kim is slated to miss the start of the season, but Giants third baseman Matt Chapman had told club officials he was willing to switch to shortstop while Kim recovered from shoulder surgery, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
It’s likely Kim won’t be joining the NL West rival now. Kim is one of the best free agent middle infielders on the market this offseason even though he is recovering from right labrum surgery.
Although Kim is poised to miss the beginning of the 2025 season, he is still expected to land a considerable offer this winter. Kim declined his mutual option with the Padres, signaling a reunion likely won’t be in store for the two parties.
With the arrival of Adames, the Giants have their franchise shortstop for the next seven seasons. Chapman won’t have to make a position switch at the start of the 2025 campaign and the Giants bolstered their lineup with the signing of the star shortstop.
Adames, 29, hit a career-high 32 home runs and 112 runs batted in 2024. San Francisco has struggled to stay competitive in the NL West as the Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Arizona Diamondbacks have largely dominated.
The acquisition of Adames marks a strong start to Buster Posey’s tenure as the Giants president of baseball operations.
The Giants are now the second NL West team to make a huge splash this winter. The Dodgers already signed free agent pitcher Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract.
Now Padres fans will hope president of baseball operations A.J. Preller can also orchestrate a landmark deal or bring back fan favorites like outfielder Jurickson Profar.
