After he largely produced a standout tenure over three-plus seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, The San Francisco Giants made shortstop Willy Adames a key tenant of the franchise with a seven-year, $182 million deal in December 2024. 

After a bit of performance-based turbulence to begin his inaugural season with the Giants, Adames ended up having a nice year in 2025. Yet, there is speculation that his contract will not age well. Recently, Bleacher Report compiled a list titled “Projecting MLB’s 9 Biggest Nightmare Contracts by 2028,” and Adames’ deal made the list. 

“Season No. 1 of Willy Adames' seven-year, $182M contract ended up being pretty solid,” it wrote. “It certainly didn't start out that way, as he hit .193/.281/.303 while starting each of San Francisco's first 65 games. But one random Sunday off in early June followed by a shift in the batting order was just what the doctor ordered, hitting 25 home runs and posting an .848 OPS the rest of the way.” 

“Adames ended up getting to 30 home runs, which hadn't been done by a San Francisco Giant since Barry Bonds clubbed 45 back in 2004. “He always has been a late bloomer, hitting far better in July and August than he has in March and April throughout his career.” 

With Adames proving he is worth his contractual weight last season, one might pose the question as to what the concern is. According to Bleacher report, the question concerns sustainability. 

“But can this zero-time All-Star keep being a second-half hero into his mid-30s? And at what point does that second-half prowess turn into postseason production? Adames hasn't homered in any of his last 30 playoff games, posting a .196/.310/.258 triple slash dating back to his final appearance in the 2019 ALDS.” 

“He did at least bounce back a bit from what was an atrocious final season of glovework in Milwaukee, but he has never won a Gold Glove and certainly wasn't close to getting one in 2025. If Adames regresses in that regard moving forward, this contract could get really painful—especially if the Giants wind up with Bryce Eldridge as the regular first baseman and Rafael Devers as the primary designated hitter, leaving nowhere to hide Adames' glove.” 

2028 will mark Adames’ age-32 season, which indicates that he will be much closer to the end of his prime if not past it all together. His defensive struggles mean that there will be a much greater reliance on his offensive skillset, and if that dwindles, the Giants may not enjoy paying Adames $28 million annually from 2028-2031. 

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