The San Francisco Giants are straight-up the most disappointing team in Major League Baseball this year, 2026. This club had real postseason aspirations, man, serious hopes! But a big reason they’re flailing comes down to the huge money they’re shelling out for some top players. Rafael Devers and Matt Chapman are major financial commitments, and then there’s Willy Adames, their shortstop, right in that same boat. The guy has just not lived up to expectations in a Giants uniform, especially since he inked that monster seven-year, $182 million deal before the 2025 season. Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter didn’t mince words, listing Adames as one of the top 25 overpaid players in baseball. You look at the numbers for this year, and it’s hard to argue.
Adames’ Giant-Sized Payroll Problem
When Adames first came to San Francisco, his initial 2025 season actually started rough, but he totally rebounded. He put up a 111 OPS+, hammered 30 home runs, and posted a solid 3.7 WAR. That’s a good year, a real turnaround! So, you’d think for 2026, when he’s pulling in a cool $26 million, that momentum would carry right over. But nope. Not even close. Let’s be real, he’s never made an All-Star team in his career, and his offensive production this year is screaming exactly why. You want All-Star numbers for All-Star cash, right? That’s not what the Giants are getting.
The .224 Bat That’s Costing Them Everything
Now, we’re 116 games deep into 2026, and Adames’ slash line is just brutal: .224/.285/.413, with only 19 home runs. Get this, his OPS+ is a paltry 96. What does that even mean? It means he’s performing four percent *worse* at the plate than the average hitter across the entire league. That rebound from last season? It simply hasn’t materialized. Sure, the guy provides some positive value with his glove and can still hit an extra-base shot here and there, but Joel Reuter nailed it: his overall production is “a far cry from justifying one of the largest salaries of any shortstop.” When you’ve got postseason dreams, a bat like that in the middle of your lineup, at that price point, just sinks you.
This whole situation is just a mess for San Francisco. They came into this season dreaming big, and instead, they’re looking at another ugly finish. If they want to avoid repeating this pain next year, the Giants absolutely need better production from Willy Adames. Like, a *lot* better. You gotta wonder how long they’ll wait for that massive $182 million investment to actually start paying dividends on the field. The clock is ticking, and the NL West is watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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