SAN JOSE — The San Francisco Giants’ previous offseasons were defined by their shortcomings. The failed pursuit of Aaron Judge. The failed pursuit of Shohei Ohtani. The Carlos Correa debacle. With spring training on the horizon, Giants fans are singing a bit of a different tune.
Shortstop Willy Adames, who signed a franchise-record seven-year, $182 million deal in December, was among the players present for the second leg of the Giants’ FanFest Tour in San Jose on Saturday afternoon. After losing out on Judge and Ohtani in recent offseasons, there was no shortage of anticipation among those in attendance on Saturday to see the team’s new franchise player.
“I love Willy because it seems like he has good energy. He’s got good numbers and he’s the kind of player that we really need on this team,” said Peter Thomas, 32, from San Jose, who was wearing an Adames jersey. “I think he brings a lot of intangibles, but he was also second in RBIs (112) in the whole National League. I think he’s going to be a great player.”
“It did suck not getting some of those bigger names like Judge or Ohtani, but I think Adames is a good start for now,” said JT Everett, 20, from San Jose, who was also wearing an Adames jersey. “I think we have one of the best left infields in the league now, especially defensively. Moving forward, I think it’s going to be forward trying to attract other guys knowing that we have Adames.”
Along with Adames, the Giants signed Justin Verlander to a one-year, $15 million contract to solidify their rotation.
Verlander, who will be 42 on Opening Day, is coming off the worst season of his career (5.48 ERA), but the right-hander’s underlying metrics and improved health suggest he could be due for a rebound. Even with Verlander entering the twilight of his career, several fans expressed their excitement to see the future Hall of Famer.
“Verlander is headed to the Hall of Fame after he’s done,” said fan Chris Tognetti, 32, from San Jose. “Regardless of how much he actually plays, having that veteran around is going to be important. I grew up watching him, so it’ll be fun to watch history come to a close.”
Verlander isn’t the only future Hall of Famer currently in the organization.
Adames and Verlander were both lured to San Francisco by Buster Posey, the best catcher in franchise history who’s in the midst of his first year as the team’s president of baseball operations. To assist in bringing winning back to The City, Posey has hired Zack Minasian as his general manager; brought back former GM Bobby Evans as an advisor; and elevated Randy Winn to vice president of player development.
“He’s a guy that’s really smart,” Thomas said. “He’s not just a jock. He’s a guy that comes in and is super competitive and wants to hire the right people around him. I’ve liked his signings. I still think we need one or two more players, but I think it’s a great step to hire him. It’s great for the Giants’ culture to hire somebody that’s almost universally liked.”
The Giants have had a modest offseason between adding Adames and Verlander, but San Francisco’s efforts pale in comparison to what the Los Angeles Dodgers have done this winter.
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Fresh off winning their second championship in five years, the Dodgers have fortified their roster by adding Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki; a pair of former Giants in left-hander Blake Snell and outfielder Michael Conforto; high-leverage relievers in Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates; and superutility man Hyeseong Kim from the KBO. They’ve also re-signed outfielder Teoscar Hernández and reliever Blake Treinen. Eventually, Clayton Kershaw will return to the mix as well.
There has been no shortage of baseball fans on social media who have directed vitriol at the Dodgers for their flurry of moves. Some have gone so far as to say that Los Angeles is ruining the league. Similar to Matt Chapman, who told this organization last week that “nothing’s guaranteed,” several fans had a more measured outlook on the Dodgers’ acquisitions.
“A lot of people say, ‘They’re ruining baseball. They have too much money.’ I’m in the middle,” said Josh Smith, 29, from Mountain View. “They want to spend money to win. They’re trying to win. Other teams should follow suit and try to pick up more people, not just lay low and not get anyone. But I also understand that it does get old after a while, that the biggest names are going to the Dodgers.”
“At risk of sounding like a toxic Giants fan,” Tognetti said, “I want to watch them have gone the extra mile to get as much talent as possible and see that not work.”
Sasaki’s joining of the Dodgers was arguably the offseason’s biggest move, but Snell jumping from San Francisco to Los Angeles appears to have struck a bigger never among Giants fans.
Snell isn’t quite in Benedict Arnold territory; he signed a deal with an opt-out and his tenure with the Giants lasted 20 starts. That said, Snell’s decision to join the defending champions wasn’t exactly greeted with enthusiasm in San Francisco. And earlier this month, Snell further fanned the flames by responding to a comment on Instagram when he was criticized about his decision.
“I wish I could understand his thought process,” Everett said. “Did he know he was going to do that the whole time? Or, was it his best option in the moment? In terms of how Giants fans are going to greet him, I don’t think it will be very polite. I think the boos will be pretty loud. It is what it is. He got more money and you can’t really complain if he gets more money.”
