Jul 6, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) rounds the bases after hitting a one-run home run during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Expensive Giants Star Finally Starting To Live Up To His Contract

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Jacob Moss | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The San Francisco Giants made one of the biggest splash signings of this past offseason when they shelled out a franchise-record-setting contract for star shortstop Willy Adames.

The former Milwaukee Brewers slugger was one of the most sought-after free-agent shortstops in recent memory, possessing a potent combination of elite offense and defense.

The Giants saw a true franchise cornerstone in Adames, but the first several months of the year resulted in their new superstar putting up less-than-stellar numbers at the plate.

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For whatever reason, he came out the gates extremely slow to start his tenure in the Bay, struggling more than just about anybody else in a San Francisco lineup that has had their issues this season.

Things got so bad for the 28-year-old that his batting average has sat below the .210 mark for most of the campaign, while his OPS hovered around .650.

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For a guy making an average of $26 million per year, this level of production has been less than ideal. But Adames has slowly started to heat up as the summer months have arrived.

Dating back to June 10, the star shortstop has looked considerably more like the stud slugger the Giants were looking for when they signed him, posting a .307 batting average and an OPS over .952 in that span.

Willy is feeling it lately pic.twitter.com/GWsSpZp0nK
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 12, 2025

He's also slugged seven homers during that time after only managing to hit five over the first two-and-a-half months of the season combined.

This sudden jump in production has also served as a much-needed boost to a San Francisco lineup that has been among the most inconsistent in all of baseball this year.

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It may have taken a bit longer than first anticipated for Adames to look like his usual self in his new uniform, but he's finally starting to look like the offensive engine the Giants made their highest-paid player in franchise history.

If he can continue to slug like this during the back half of the season, then he could also end up leading San Francisco to their first division crown since 2021.

For more Giants news, head over to Giants On SI.

This article first appeared on San Francisco Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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