SS Willy Adames is 'a dude,' but he's not producing for Giants

Although San Francisco president of baseball operations Buster Posey urges patience with Willy Adames, the slumping Giants shortstop must be a reason for concern.

Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182M contract as a free agent in the offseason, is only hitting .208 with five home runs and 25 RBI in 56 games through Thursday. In 2024 with the Milwaukee Brewers, he batted .251 with 32 home runs and had a career-high 112 RBI. 

"It's not uncommon when superstar players sign a big deal and struggle out of the gate," Posey said Thursday on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” show, "We saw it with [Philadelphia's] Trea Turner, we saw it with Francisco Lindor [of the New York Mets]. You are seeing to an extent with [the Mets']  Juan Soto this year. So be patient. ... Willy is a dude."

Patience, however, could soon wear thin for the power-needy Giants, who are in third place, three games back of first-place Los Angeles. San Francisco is coming off getting swept by the first-place Detroit Tigers in a three-game series and heads into a weekend series on the road against the Miami Marlins.

Adames has 11 multi-hit games for the Giants, but he's only 2-for-17 (both singles) in his past five games. The Giants are 19th in Major League Baseball with 55 home runs. 

If Adames' slump deepens, perhaps even Posey will become concerned.