LaMonte Wade Jr. it (probably) is.
The San Francisco Giants entered the offseason with first base as a slightly confusing position. On the one hand, it was one of the clear positions where they could seek an upgrade. On the other hand, LaMonte Wade Jr. is affordable and has earned praise from both Buster Posey and Bob Melvin; Wilmer Flores is under contract and only a lost season away from being the team’s best hitter; Jerar Encarnación is promising and basically free; and Bryce Eldridge is waiting in the wings.
So it was a position you assumed they’d try to upgrade, but it was both unclear what an upgrade would look like, and if an upgrade would actually be … well … an upgrade.
Now the options are dwindling, after the bulk of the available names did a shuffle over the weekend. Christian Walker, one of two free agent first basemen likely to receive large, multi-year contracts, signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the Houston Astros, who hope it will go better than the last time they signed a big-name first baseman. The Arizona Diamondbacks, needing to replace Walker, swung a trade for Josh Naylor, a player many hoped the Giants would acquire. The Cleveland Guardians, realizing that trading away a first baseman left them needing a first baseman, signed veteran Carlos Santana to a one-year, $12-million deal. And the New York Yankees swooped up Paul Goldschmidt, a player the Giants were in on, signing him to a one-year, $12.5 million contract. And just to add to the fun, the Tampa Bay Rays traded Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals.
With the Toronto Blue Jays signaling that they’re hoping to compete in 2025 (and thus not trading Vladimir Guerrero Jr.), it’s not clear that any first basemen remain on the trading block. And the only free agent first baseman who was either worth more fWAR than Wade in 2024, or projected for more fWAR than Wade in 2025, is Pete Alonso, a player who has not, and almost surely will not be linked to the Giants.
So it’s probably gonna be some combination of Wade, Flores, and Encarnación … and eventually Eldridge. Could be a lot worse! Could be a lot better! And that’s Giants baseball for you.