Giants Sign Michael Confort – MLB Trade Rumors

January 6th: The Giants have officially announced Conforto to a two-year contract. His Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the opt-out clause in his contract is conditional on at-bat (twitter link). Conforto triggers an opt-out feature once you reach 350 plate appearances.

December 23rd: Giants and outfielders Michael Conforto Agreed to a two-year, $36 million deal. Conforto can opt out after the first season. The deal is pending physical. He is represented by Boras Corporation.

Conforto, who turned 30 in March, was arguably the best upside play remaining in the free agency market, based on his impressive performances from 2017 to 2020. He missed the 2022 season entirely due to shoulder surgery.

From 2017 to 2020, Conforto appeared in 467 games with the Mets and hit 97 home runs. His 24.4% strikeout rate was slightly above average, but his 12.7% walk rate was well above par. His overall offensive power resulted in a .265/.369/.495 batting average, which was 33% above the league average in wRC+. His 133 he wRC+ was in the top 25 among all eligible hitters in baseball at the time.

In 2021, Conforto production fell, especially in the power sector. He had hit only 14 home runs in 125 games after hitting 27 or more in the past three seasons. His .232/.344/.384 his slash was a little above his average as wRC+ was his 106, but a noticeable drop from his previous form. Despite this sluggish year, the Mets were comfortable presenting him with his $18.4MM qualifying offer, which Conforto reluctantly declined.

He entered free agency looking for a lucrative multi-year offer, but did not secure it before the December 1st lockout. Given his uncertain health and his obsession with forfeiting draft picks for refusing a qualifying offer, it is unlikely that he will secure an important contract. The possibility is gone. After the draft passes and he’s no longer tied to penalties of any kind, teams are considering signing him to a short-term deal in hopes that his shoulder will recover enough to support stretch runs. There were rumors that it was, but it never came to fruition.

Conforto then entered this offseason as a high-risk, high-reward play. He missed the season entirely and was one of the best hitters in baseball before that, though he did poorly in 2021. Scott Boras, an agent for Conforto, said his client had a similar deal to the one he negotiated. He said he would be looking for a two-year contract with an opt-out. Carlos Rodon and the Giants. The situation was somewhat similar, as Rodon was also a very talented player with health problems. But given his greater uncertainty, he was at least close to finishing his strong 2021 season when he signed his $44 million contract over his two years with the Giants. , it seemed that Conforto had to settle for something less. He’s now definitely getting the contract he’s been seeking, proving once again that the Giants are a team willing to give him the opt-out he wants. As expected, Conforto got lower guarantees than Rodon, but he’s doing quite well himself in that he gets a higher salary than expected.

Despite Conforto’s uncertain status, he proved to be very popular this offseason as well. I was hooked up with him at various points during the season. Some of these clubs ended up dealing with the outfield along with other players, but clubs that still had upgrade designs left the limited options remaining on the open market. You’ll find out. The top unsigned free agent outfielders are Jurickson Profer, David Peralta, Trey Mancini When AJ Pollock.

For the Giants, they’ve looked to get aggressive this offseason. Aaron Judge And the “Big Four” shortstop: Carlos Correa, trea turner, xander bogaerts When Dansby SwansonBaseball operations president Farhan Zaidi did little to soften expectations, telling media at the start of the offseason, “From a financial standpoint, no one will surpass us.”

The early stages of the club’s offseason seemed to be on track over the acquisition of Judge, with the club reportedly offering Judge a $360 million contract, but he was eventually offered the same deal by the Yankees. I secured the warranty and accepted it. The Giants then pivoted to Correa, agreeing a 13-year, $350 million contract that fell through in unprecedented fashion. The Giants flagged something that caused a suspension in Correa’s medical care, later reported to be his right foot, and postponed an official signing just as it was announced.Ron of the San Francisco Chronicle Kroichik reported that Correa had begun home shopping with his family. We were able to secure a $115 million contract.

With all other top free agents already off the board, there was no road left for the Giants to make the big splash many expected. did his best as a free agent. But there’s a certain absurdity about clubs stepping into a public relations nightmare by letting Correa escape at the last second.The biggest free-agent splash of the two was Conforto, who missed the entire 2022 season. . Mitch Hanigermaking only two appearances in 100 games during the season due to various injuries.

Regardless of optics, the Giants are looking to add two outfielders this offseason, and have reportedly accomplished just that. Conforto has played in center field in the past, but has not played since 2019.The Giants would probably see Confort and Haniger in the corners and take center field. Mike Yastrzemski When Austin Slaterit probably pushes Lamonte Wade Jr. spend more time at first base and potentially in platoons JD Davisif the club faces a loss brandon belt.

Assuming an even distribution of the money, the deal would result in a club salary of up to $181 million per roster resource. That’s well over his $154 million in last year’s season opener, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, although in the past he’s made over $200 million. Their $197 million competitiveness balance tax calculation is also well below the $233 million luxury tax threshold. If they have their eyes set on further additions, that could leave them with room to maneuver.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale It first reported that the two sides had agreed to a $36 million deal over two years. ESPN’s Buster Olney First pointed out the opt-out clause.

Image credit: USA Today Sports.