Buster Posey held the San Francisco Giants record for the biggest contract in franchise history. In Posey's first big move because the club's president of baseball operations, he didn't hesitate to interrupt through.

The Giants agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with free-agent shortstop Willy Adames on Saturday. In doing so, they remodeled the left side of their infield for the rest of the last decade and signaled their determination to stay aggressive in restoring their relevance within the National League West. The agreement with Adames continues to be pending – greater than a minor detail given the medical issues that derailed Carlos Correa's $350 million contract after the 2022 season – and his guaranteed money can be Posey's own nine-year, $167 million contract he signed after that signed, winning the NL MVP Award in 2012.

With Adames and third baseman Matt Chapman signing six-year, $150 million contract extensions in September, the Giants have committed a 3rd of a billion dollars to construct a solid offensive and defensive presence on the left side of their infield . Taken together, these investments aren't all that different from the megadeals the Texas Rangers made to shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien after the 2021 season – a $500 million bet that paid off when the Rangers made the won the primary World Series title in franchise history two years later.

Adames, 29, posted 4.8 fWAR last season as he finished fourth within the majors with 112 RBIs, set profession highs in home runs (32) and stolen bases (21) and led the Milwaukee Brewers to the NL Central title. Arguably just as necessary to Posey and the Giants, Adames was a respected leader in Milwaukee, praised for his endurance and talent to remain on top of things. He was certainly one of the league's best defenders on the shortstop position in 2023, and while a few of his production numbers dipped last season, there's little doubt that he's an improvement over the Giants' in-house options on the position.

Perhaps probably the most telling aspect of the Giants' stunning agreement, reached on the eve of baseball's winter meeting in Dallas, is the way it affects Posey, who had been something of a cipher in his transient tenure as a first-time baseball manager. He fills front-office positions and adds advisory voices but otherwise offers few details about how aggressive he can be to enhance a team that finished 80-82 in 2024 while missing the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons .

However, Posey was clear on one point: he described the acquisition of a shortstop because the club's top priority. And the Giants just agreed to sign the highest shortstop on the free-agent market.

During his profession behind the plate, Posey had a knack for cutting through the noise, tackling problems head-on, finding a direct path and avoiding the trap of overthinking. If his first big move because the Giants' chief baseball architect is any indication, he’ll lean on those self same traits and impulses as he looks to shut the sizable gap between his team and the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Identify problem. Fix problem.

Posey wasn't sufficiently deterred by the proven fact that signing Adames, who had been prolonged a qualifying offer by the Brewers, will force the Giants to forfeit their second- and fifth-round picks and $1 million in international bonus money from their pool for 2026. Those aren’t any small considerations for a franchise that also cut its second- and third-round picks on this past draft after signing Chapman and left-hander Blake Snell the previous offseason. The Giants wouldn’t have lost any draft picks in the event that they had traded from Adames to shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, a favourite of Giants manager Bob Melvin from their time together in San Diego but who moved on from offseason shoulder surgery on Opening Day will rehabilitate.

But Adames was clearly the very best shortstop available. And Posey kept it so easy.

“Ultimately it's a boring answer, but you just want complete baseball players,” Posey said on the November GM meetings. “You want people who can do a little bit of everything.”

Interestingly, Posey's first major free agent contract is with fellow CAA player. The Giants recently announced the hiring of Jeff Berry, Posey's former agent and former CAA head of baseball operations, as a special advisor.

ESPN was first to report the agreement. The Giants aren't expected to make an announcement until late Sunday or Monday.

The addition of Adames would push Tyler Fitzgerald into competition at second base with Casey Schmitt, Brett Wisely and possibly Marco Luciano if the organization's former top prospect isn't traded or moved to the outfield.

The biggest query is how aggressive the Giants will probably be to fill their second big need: a pitching presence for a rotation that has thrown the fewest innings within the National League, although their Opening Day ace Logan Webb has thrown probably the most Innings pitched on a person basis. Multiple reports have linked the Giants to former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes, a Bakersfield-area native who starred at Saint Mary's College in Moraga and gave the Giants certainly one of the league's best one-two punches.

Before last season with the Baltimore Orioles, Burnes had spent his entire major league profession with the Brewers, so signing Adames might be a selling point for any Giants attempt at a pursuit. Both players are well-known to Zack Minasian, the Giants' newly appointed GM, who served as director of scouting in Milwaukee during his 14 seasons with the organization. Minasian was certainly one of the strongest voices for Burnes winning when the right-hander was showing promise within the minor leagues, advising then-Brewers GM Doug Melvin to make the previous fourth-round pick virtually untouchable in trade talks.

On a money basis, the Giants spent $206 million on player salaries last season, exceeded the posh tax threshold ($237 million) for the primary time since 2018 and suffered operating losses that caused some unease amongst members of the ownership group. Their placeholder budget figures for 2025 had called for a cut in player salaries, which could still be achieved even when the club can win the bid for Burnes – a market expected to exceed $200 million – and Adames.

Adding in Adames' average annual value of $26 million, the Giants' estimated payroll on a money basis can be about $170 million. If the Giants look to enhance in other areas, they might trade a number of of their arbitration-eligible players (including LaMonte Wade Jr. and Camilo Doval). Or they might sign certainly one of several second-tier starting pitchers who aren't low-cost — akin to Luis Severino's three-year, $67 million contract with the A's — but would command only a fraction of what it might take to sign Burnes who notably left CAA for the Boras Corporation in 2023 and whose possible signing would also cost the Giants their third and sixth round draft picks.

Or Posey could do what he has proven so again and again throughout his playing profession: cut through the noise, go after the very best player and persuade owners to spend money.

“I know we will be very careful in our decision-making,” Posey said last month. “But I attempted to convey to the group that we might not be paralyzed by the potential fear of failure. It's about knowing, 'Hey, sometimes we have now to take the chance of individuals within the media saying it is a bad decision or a foul move.' But if we feel condemned in that, then you’ve got to be OK with that.”

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants’ playoff hopes will not be over, but they’ve made their task way more difficult.

The Giants needed to at the least tie this four-game series against the Braves to earn a potentially essential head-to-head tiebreaker, but they did themselves no favors by losing the primary two meetings, and after they went to bat on Wednesday, all of them but kissed those hopes goodbye.

A must-win game began with a Robbie Ray flop of epic proportions and ended 13-2, with one other left-hander – outfielder Mike Yastrzemski – having about as much luck finding the strike zone, to the amusement of the 27,460 spectators who stayed for the loss.

That fourth straight loss guaranteed the Giants would should play an additional game regardless of how Sunday's final game of the series seems. They lose the season series and might be the deciding factor in the event that they catch Atlanta within the win-loss column, where the gap has grown to 4½ games.

Ray left the mound after his thirty ninth pitch missed the strike zone, giving up his third free throw of the primary inning. He also hit the primary two batters he faced, hitting Jorge Soler on the foot with a slider and throwing a fastball into Austin Riley's hands. He also served up a knuckle curve on a silver platter so shiny that Michael Harris II sent it straight into McCovey Cove at 107.3 mph in his first major league at-bat since June.

Ray's second walk of the inning to Orlando Arcia forced within the Braves' first run, and Harris made it 5-0 together with his grand slam, the second home run to hit the water this season and the primary by an opponent. The five runs were probably the most Ray has allowed in an appearance as a Giant, while the 2 outs matched the shortest start of his profession, but the style by which it got here about gave it an entire other dimension.

Harris' grand slam was the one hit Ray allowed, making him the third pitcher in Giants history and the primary since 1951 to permit five or more runs on one or fewer hits. Ray's performance was so inconsistent and short-lived that it made him one among only 17 other pitchers (six starters) to walk at the least three batters and get at the least two hits in a game of 1 inning or less.

The Braves continued to push forward, scoring one other six runs with three home runs against Sean Hjelle, Erik Miller and Taylor Rogers.

Tyler Fitzgerald began the second half of the primary and started to chop the deficit as quickly as possible, hitting the primary pitch he saw from Atlanta starter Grant Holmes and sending it into the left-field stands for his second home run in as many games. But Atlanta's attack proved too strong for an offense that did not rating greater than 4 runs in any of the primary five games of the house series.

The Giants hit nine hits — just two fewer than the Braves' total — but were capable of rating only another run, when Patrick Bailey opened the seventh inning with a double and Brett Wisely brought him home with a single. The Giants have fallen to 2-4 at home, have a .183 batting average (36-for-197) — 3-for-24 with runners in scoring position — and have averaged 2.5 runs over their last six games.

Remarkable

Yastrzemski threw 27 pitches starting from 44.7 to 67.3 miles per hour, and only two of them were ruled strikes by home plate umpire Adam Beck.

Next

To avoid being swept, the Giants send RHP Logan Webb (10-8, 3.32) to the hill against LHP Max Fried (7-6, 3.56). The first pitch is scheduled for 12:45 p.m.

Originally published: August 14, 2024 at 21:11

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Flanked by Barry Bonds on one side and Ken Griffey Jr. on the opposite, Willie Mays' son, Michael Mays, delivered a message to the crowds gathered at historic Rickwood Field Thursday night to recollect his late, great father.

“I knew if my father could come here, he would,” he said. “But he found another way.”

Two days after his death at age 93, Mays' presence was omnipresent within the 114-year-old, single-story jewel box where he began his profession as an expert baseball player. The event had long been planned to honor Mays, who grew up in nearby Westfield, his fellow Negro Leaguers who also called the stadium home and the 180 other future Hall of Famers who passed through these hallowed grounds. When the Giants learned Tuesday that the all-time great had died, the event took on added significance.

Before the sport, which featured a three-run home run by Heliot Ramos but ultimately resulted in a 6-5 loss to the Cardinals, manager Bob Melvin decided that after Mays' death, it was finally the suitable time to deal with his team.

“We had a team meeting with BoMel and he went over some of the stories,” right-hander Jordan Hicks said. “He said he knew he was here now. I felt it, just in his words.”

It was the primary time Melvin had shared a moment together with his team since his childhood neighbor died. He had waved to him from his pink Cadillac, had a locker next to him when he was traded to his hometown team as a rookie and personally congratulated him on Hall of Fame stationery when he was hired because the Giants' manager this winter. He said the one World Series ring he owns is the one possession from 4 a long time in the sport he cherishes a lot.

When Melvin learned of Mays' death shortly before the beginning of Tuesday's game at Wrigley Field, he initially mourned and remembered Mays alone, giving his players the chance to do the identical.

Two days later, Mays made his 1947 skilled debut within the makeshift clubhouse that had been erected outside the stadium. Just a brief drive from his parents' home, the manager was a raconteur, recounting his most memorable moments with the all-time great and providing a platform for others to do the identical.

“I just wanted to share a few stories and open up the discussion if anyone else has something to share, and how special it is to be here playing on the field where he started his career,” Melvin said. “How special he was. Not just in baseball, but in life in general. And what he meant to me. And what he meant to the team. What he meant to the Bay Area. What he meant to baseball. He's a true icon in the world.”

The news was received as if it were vital to know the importance of Thursday's game, the primary between major league teams on the nation's oldest ballpark, Rickwood Field, which opened in 1910 and hosted its first skilled games for the teenage Mays three and a half a long time later.

From the moment the Giants team bus arrived on the stadium, they took every opportunity to pay their last respects to the late legend.

Players, coaches, staff – everyone – exited the bus wearing gray replica jerseys with “Birmingham” on the front and the number 8 on the back. It was the identical uniform Mays wore when he made his debut for the Birmingham Black Barons at age 17.

Both teams wore the “Mays 24” patch, which the Giants debuted on Wednesday, and Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, who’s half black, said, “I hope we wear it every day.”

The backdrop for Melvin's pregame meeting was Mays' Hall of Fame plaque, which had been flown in from Cooperstown and was displayed, decorated with flowers, within the carpeted, air-conditioned tent that served because the Giants' temporary home base.

When Michael Mays finished his speech, shouts of “Willie!” and “Say Hey!” erupted from the sold-out crowd of 8,332.

“He's on everyone's mind,” said LaMonte Wade Jr., who was unable to play despite his and the Giants' best efforts to avoid injury rules. “The game was so important from the beginning because of Willie, and for this to happen now, his presence is definitely here.”

Wade's hamstring strain last month prevented him from playing in the sport, but he played a significant role within the pregame festivities. Wade was considered one of three black players on the Giants — together with Hicks and Spencer Bivens — and took part within the all-black lineup's first card exchange at home plate.

The only five black umpires in MLB – Alan Porter, Adrian Johnson, CB Bucknor, Malachi Moore and Jeremie Rehak – served because the crew for the sport.

The historic moment got here shortly after a pregame ceremony that included a video commemorating Mays narrated by Jon Miller, a parade of former Negro League players escorted by current Giants and Cardinals players, a live band led by Jon Baptiste and a gaggle of Lindy Hop dancers moving to the music.

May's former teammate on the Black Barons, 99-year-old Pastor Bill Greason, threw the primary pitch and was accompanied to the mound by Wade, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter and Willie McGee.

If only Mays might have been there.

Oh, but he was.

“I've been thinking about this since I heard the news of his passing,” said outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. “I've come to terms with the fact that I think there was a reason for it, so he could be here spiritually. He could be here with us. Otherwise he wouldn't have made it. As much as it hurts to lose such a legend, we gained an angel and a saint who is here for this series. It's very special and I think everyone here feels that.”

The game was significant for Yastrzemski for other reasons as well, particularly because he was now the third generation of his family to play on the ballpark.

Yastrzemski, who joins his Hall of Fame grandfather Carl and his father Michael, who played here for the Double-A Barons, said, “It feels like the memories are coming alive.”

“But I think there are bigger things happening here,” he continued. “There's a bigger message that needs to be conveyed. A small part of me enjoys that. But a larger part of me also understands the historical monument of this ballpark. …

“Things happened on this stadium that folks have to find out about. They have to know where Willie got here from. Because he left a legacy on the sport that goes way beyond the sport.

“You have a guy who was, without a doubt, the easiest ballot to vote into the Hall of Fame, and if you talk to him in the locker room, he never mentions a single word about his career,” Yastrzemski continued. “He would never talk about how many home runs he hit (660), how many pike catches he made (too many to count), how many games he saved (at least one in the World Series). Unless you provoked him, he would talk about your career. How you can get better. What you can do to impact your community. That's the message that needs to be conveyed here, that this is the stadium that this legend came out of.”

Remarkable

Yastrzemski left the sport within the fourth inning after one at-bat – he hit a single to right and scored on Ramos' three-run home run to the alternative field within the third inning – as a consequence of a tightness issue in his left side, the Giants announced.

Facing his former team for the primary time, Brandon Crawford did something he had never done in 1,631 previous major league games. The 37-year-old, 14-year veteran was named to the Cardinals' starting lineup by manager Oli Marmol — at third base, the primary time Crawford played a defensive position aside from shortstop (apart from his transient appearance on the mound at the tip of last season, after all).

Crawford went 0 for 1 and reached base on a walk, but was intercepted by Randy Rodríguez at second base before being replaced by a pinch hitter within the sixth inning.

Next

The Giants fly to St. Louis for a day without work before concluding their two-game series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.