Massive SF Giants signing sheds light on how Buster Posey plans to operate in free agency

The SF Giants have reportedly agreed to a massive contract with Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million deal. Buster Posey stated his desire to add a shortstop at the start of the offseason and landed the best option available with very little fuel to the hot stove.

Massive SF Giants signing sheds light on how Buster Posey plans to operate in free agency

The hot stove had seemingly gone cold with the Giants earlier this week. There had been some connections to Ha-Seong Kim and Corbin Burnes throughout the offseason. However, there were few rumors of substance connecting Adames to the Giants. It always felt like adding Ha-Seong Kim was the more likely outcome for a few reasons.

Sure, a lot of national writers saw the Giants' need at shortstop and the availability of Adames, so there was always a fit on paper. However, there was a sense that the Los Angeles Dodgers would land the power-hitting shortstop.

Perhaps, their pursuit of Juan Soto distracted them just enough from the Adames market. Of course, it bears mentioning that teams are generally working multiple angles at once, so one player does not normally take them out of the running for alternatives.

There was a good chance that once the Soto sweepstakes concluded, teams that lost out would have pivoted aggressively to the best remaining names. This includes Adames. Instead, the Giants quietly and swiftly sidestepped that approach by locking up the seven-year veteran to a long-term deal.

The quiet part is what speaks volumes. The Giants did not have too many leaks during the bulk of the Farhan Zaidi regime. That changed toward the end, but the Giants often added a player in free agency without many rumors leading up to the move.

The Posey regime might even be more tight-lipped. The Giants even indicated that they were planning to cut payroll in 2025. The Adames move suggests a different plan entirely. They still have multiple spots to fill on the roster, so there is a good chance they will not stop after making one big move.

It helps that Adames is represented by CAA Sports. That agency does not negotiate publicly in the same way that Scott Boras does, so some level of secrecy is to be expected.

This is all to say that it feels like the Giants made it seem like the Adames signing was not a possibility all along. That this offseason was going to be more modest. They conveyed one thing and acted in a much different manner. That is not bad at all. It just sets the precedent that they will operate privately with few leaks. Moves will happen quietly without much in the way of substance leading up to them.