Next move seems obvious for SF Giants after Willy Adames splash

After the SF Giants reportedly signed shortstop Willy Adames to a record-breaking contract, one could not catch their breath before fans began pondering, 'Who's next?' If the Giants are intent on going big, the next move seems obvious: sign pitcher Corbin Burnes.

This way of thinking may be unfair to president of baseball operations Buster Posey. He did just hand out the largest contract in franchise history to Adames, paying him $182 million over the course of a seven-year deal. He has silenced those who believed he was little more than a more marketable face on what would ultimately be a similar front office to the one Farhan Zaidi ran.

Corbin Burnes is next logical move for SF Giants after Willy Adames signing

Yet, fans understandably want more. With the Los Angeles Dodgers coming off a World Series win and poaching Blake Snell from the Giants in free agency, there is a desire to close the gap any way possible.

Signing Burnes would be the next logical move for the Giants. We know that in order for the Giants to be competitive, they are going to need a very strong starting rotation. Adding Burnes to the top of the rotation with ace Logan Webb gives the Giants one of the most dependable and formidable top two starters in any rotation in the game.

It would not be out of the realm of possibility for the Giants to get 200 innings out of both Webb and Burnes if they stay healthy in 2025. After last season when the Giants relied heavily on their bullpen due to injuries and inconsistencies in their rotation, adding an innings-eater like Burnes would go a long way towards making the Giants competitive.

Of course, even if the Giants did add Burnes that would not guarantee anything. There was a similar feeling last offseason after the Giants landed both Matt Chapman and Blake Snell that they were a legit playoff contender.

However, if the Adames deal is made official and the Giants are able to sign Burnes early in the offseason, that would be a major difference from the last-minute approach Zaidi employed in free agency last offseason. Both Chapman and Snell were signed in Spring Training which was certainly detrimental to Snell as he struggled with injuries throughout the first half.

If Posey could lock up both Adames and Burnes before the new year, then all of the heavy lifting will have been done for San Francisco. They would enter 2025 as a team projected to win roughly 85 to 90 games and would be seen as a legit contender for the playoffs.

Signing Burnes to go along with Adames would not guarantee anything, but it would give Giants fans hope which is something that has been in short supply in recent seasons.