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Giants Are Now Receiving Kind of Production They Hoped To Receive From Star Addition

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 11:29 AM ET

When the San Francisco Giants hired Buster Posey as their new president of baseball operations, they knew there was some work to do with the roster.

Some nice pieces existed, but the team was painfully mediocre the last three years. Since Posey retired as a player following the 2021 campaign, the team won 81, 79 and 80 games. For that to change, he knew some talent had to be added to the roster.

The first move he made in his new position running the front office was a massive one. Identifying shortstop as a position of need, the Giants went right to the top of the market to address it. They signed Willy Adames away from the Milwaukee Brewers with a historic contract.

The two sides agreed to a seven-year, $182 million deal, the largest in franchise history. There was going to be pressure on him to elevate this offense as one of the true impact bats in the lineup alongside third baseman Matt Chapman. In the early going, he fell woefully short of those expectations.

Willy Adames Finally Living Up To Massive Contract

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Their big free agent splash was being written off as a bust early on and it was easy to see why. He wasn’t making an impact at the plate and his work defensively was underwhelming as well. In the first half, he had a .220/.307/.373 slash line, not providing the impact the team needed. Thankfully, he has begun showing signs of turning things around in recent weeks.

1st Half vs 2nd Half OPS Risers pic.twitter.com/NIOT8LQYmR
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 26, 2025

As shared by Thomas Nestico on X, Adames is one of the biggest risers in OPS production in the second half compared to the first half. He had a .680 OPS before the All-Star break and after the All-Star break through Aug. 25, had an .846. That is more in line with what was expected of him.

That number has only gone up, with the slugging shortstop providing an impressive power boost near the middle of the lineup. He launched two home runs on Thursday night to help defeat the Chicago Cubs 4-3. It gave San Francisco a sweep over the playoff hopefuls, running their winning streak up to five games.

Willy Adames goes yard for a second time this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/u6ZLEX0h3C
— MLB (@MLB) August 28, 2025

His second half OPS now sits at .855. He has already matched his first half total with 12 home runs despite having 250 fewer plate apperances. It may be too late for Adames and the Giants to turn things around completely. They are six games behind the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the NL. But finishing the campaign on a high note would be great for the franchise.

Even if they cannot climb all the way back into the playoff race, finishing with a record above the .500 mark for the first time since 2021 should be the goal, at a minimum. Adames staying hot would certainly help in that regard. Knowing the team needed a spark, he took it upon himself to ask manager Bob Melvin to adjust his offensive approach on the basepaths. To his credit, he has set the tone and his teammates have followed suit.