3 bad contracts the SF Giants will regret having on the books this offseason

Mitch Haniger: 3 years, $43,500,000 through 2025

The size of Mitch Haniger's contract, which he signed in December 2022 as a free agent, has always been risky for the Giants. With the Seattle Mariners, he established himself as more than capable outfield presence and a productive bat, as well as a clubhouse leader. 2021 stands out as his best year by far; with 157 hits in 157 games, 100 RBI, and 39 home runs. Before he came to San Francisco, he was always an above-replacement player, an All-Star in 2018, and a two-time recipient of MVP votes.

However, Haniger has been hampered by injury on and off throughout his career, pretty much right from the start. In his rookie year, he managed to hit 16 home runs and bat 47 runs in, but he also missed almost four months with multiple injuries. In 2019, he missed another four, sat out the 2020 season due to a number of surgeries, then missed another four months in 2022 with an ankle sprain.

It's unsurprising, then, that he started his first year in San Francisco on the injured list, and had two stints down in Sacramento with the team's Triple-A affiliate on rehab assignments. All told, Haniger only played in 61 games in his first $14.5 million year for the Giants, and his final numbers (.209/.266/.365) were the worst in his career.

Given Haniger's extensive history of injury, it wouldn't be unduly pessimistic for anyone to lack faith in him. He's the second highest earning player on San Francisco's roster after Logan Webb, which makes his lack of reliability that much harder to accept.