Veteran SF Giants bat attains 10-and-5 rights with the club

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Wilmer Flores for the 2025 season. However, one lever that the veteran SF Giants bat now has is the ability to veto any trade thanks to attaining 10-and-5 rights at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Veteran SF Giants bat attains 10-and-5 rights with the club

10-and-5 rights are acquired when a player accumulates 10 years of service time with the last five consecutive seasons being with one team. Flores finished the 2024 season with just over 11 years of service time, including completing his fifth consecutive year on the Giants roster.

He joined the Giants before the 2020 season and has been a queitly productive player for much of that time. In addition to this, he has become a popular player with the fan base and a leader in the clubhouse.

Of course, the 2024 campaign did not go as planned as he finished the year on the injured list with a knee injury. There is a good chance that this affected him for much of the season as he just did not look right in the batter's box.

The righty bat registered a .206/.277/.318 line (68 wRC+) with four home runs, 26 RBI, and 19 runs in 242 plate appearances in 2024. This includes an 8.3 percent walk rate, 13.6 percent strikeout rate, and .112 ISO. These were some of his worst numbers since he debuted with the New York Mets in 2013.

The Giants roster needs a major overhaul for 2025. This would include moving off of some lineup mainstays like Flores. However, that may not be the case. The 33-year-old infielder has a mutual option for 2025.

The first part is a $3.5 million player option, but if he declines it, then it becomes an $8.5 million team option. Given that Flores is coming off of a down year, there is a good chance that he exercises his side of the player option. At the very least, his contract will be on the Giants' books when the offseason begins.

They could decide to move on from Flores by releasing him. However, he is one year removed from posting an .863 OPS with 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 454 plate appearances. Given the modest sum his player option is worth, the Giants could just decide to keep him with the hopes that he could return to that form.

If Flores does come back with the club, he will have a new lever at his disposal by being able to veto any trade. It is a minor milestone as not many players even reach 10-and-5 rights.