10 largest contracts in SF Giants franchise history

The SF Giants have done a lot of spending lately, locking up Willy Adames and Matt Chapman to long-term deals. What are some of the other large contracts in franchise history?

10 largest contracts in SF Giants franchise history

The Giants have flirted with handing out huge contracts in recent seasons. They heavily targeted Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa a couple of offseasons ago. Judge was likely never going to leave the New York Yankees, but Correa did agree to a term sheet. However, he did not pass a physical and eventually rejoined the Minnesota Twins. That was a weird and crazy offseason.

Several years ago, the Giants heavily pursued Bryce Harper. He inked a 13-year, $330 million pact with the Philadelphia Phillies. Harper is halfway through that deal and proving to be a relative bargain.

1. Willy Adames - seven years, $182 million

Buster Posey's first act as the team's new president of baseball operations was handing out a larger deal than the one he receivced after the 2012 season. Willy Adames signed for a historic deal and will be with the Giants for a long time. The early returns have been discouraging, but there is still plenty of time to turn it around.

2. Buster Posey - nine years, $167 million

Buster Posey took home the Rookie of the Year Award during the 2010 season while the Giants won their first championship since moving to San Francisco. He added an NL MVP Award in 2012 while leading the Giants to its second championship in three years. The Giants legend would lead them to one more championship before finishing his career as one of the more decorated players during his era.

3. Matt Chapman - six years, $151 million

It was looking like Matt Chapman was going to test free agency, as last season neared its conclusion. However, the Giants were able to work out a long-term deal to keep him in San Francisco. He is off to a better start in 2025 than Willy Adames, but the Giants will need both players to turn it around for them to have a successful season.

4. Johnny Cueto - six years, $130 million

The Giants nearly landed Zack Greinke after the 2015 season, but the Arizona Diamondbacks emerged as a surprise mystery team and landed the future Hall of Famer. The Giants pivoted to Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. Cueto was fantastic in the first year, earning an NL All-Star nod in 2016. He battled injuries and effectiveness after that year.

5. Barry Zito - seven years, $126 million

Barry Zito's best years came with the Oakland A's. By the time he joined the Giants prior to the 2007 season, his best days were behind him. While his time with San Francisco was generally viewed as a disappointment, he did save some good baseball for the games that mattered most. This included a stellar outing in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander started that game for Detroit, and Pablo Sandoval memorably hit three home runs in an 8-3 victory.

6. Barry Bonds - five years, $90 million

The five-year, $90-million deal might be the most popular one in Giants history, as they have handed it out multiple times. Barry Bonds re-signed with San Francisco before the 2002 season. He led the Giants to a World Series appearance in 2002. He remained with San Francisco on a one-year deal in 2007, where has passed Hank Aaron as the all-time home run leader.

7. Hunter Pence - five years, $90 million

Hunter Pence nearly reached free agency in 2013. There was a rumor of a conversation taking place between him and Larry Baer in the clubhouse after one of the final games of the year. While the details of that conversation were not known at the time, the two parties were hammering out a deal to keep him in San Francisco. For the next several years, Pence was one of the better run producers in the game. He also had a knack for the big moments, as he recorded 12 hits in 27 at-bats during the 2014 World Series.

8. - Logan Webb - five years, $90 million

This might be one of the better bargains in baseball, as Logan Webb has established himself as an ace and a workhorse. He could be in line for another NL All-Star nod and has been one of the best pitchers in the league this season.

9 - Jeff Samardzija - five years, $90 million

When Zack Greinke spurned the Giants' offer, they looked to retool the rotation in a big way. The Giants added Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto in the same offseason. Samardzija handled a heavy workload for much of his Giants career, even if it was not always a quality workload. He was released in the final weekend of the 2020 season and did not pitch another game after that.

10 - Mark Melancon - four years, $62 million

The Giants invested heavily in pitching in the late 2010's. It is fair to say that they did not necessarily get the return on investment they had hoped. Melancon blew a save in his first opportunity with the Giants in 2017 and things did not really turn around after that. He was shipped to the Atlanta Braves at the 2019 trade deadline, and went on to have some quality seasons. He has quietly retired and moved into a coaching role at San Diego State University.