WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 19: Willy Adames #2 of the San Francisco Giants looks back at the dugout after striking out to end the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) Getty
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Marcelo Mayer #7 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Minnesota Twins at Oracle Park on September 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) Getty
The San Francisco Giants had a very disappointing 2026 season. They finished with a 65-97 overall record and held the second-worst record in the National League. The Giants only finished better than the Colorado Rockies (58-104).
San Francisco's 97 losses were the most since 2017. The Giants went 64-98 that year.
A lot went wrong for the Giants this year, including injuries across their roster, underperformance from veterans and season-long bullpen issues.
President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey addressed the disappointing season in the team's end-of-season press conference on Tuesday.
One of the veteran players who underperformed this season was shortstop Willy Adames. The 9-year veteran struggled defensively. He committed the seventh-most errors (18) across MLB .
In addition, the shortstop was tied for the league-worst with a -14 fielding run value.
There was speculation that a move to second base made sense for Adames. But Posey still believes in Adames at shortstop.
"I see his future as a shortstop … there's no doubt that the way he moved this year, his back was bugging him," Posey told reporters on Tuesday .
The 31-year-old also struggled at the plate in his second season with the Giants.
Adames ended the year with a slash line of .230/.289/.424 for a career-low OPS of .713. The shortstop struck out 139 times in 465 at-bats.
He still showed some power, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 51 runs.
Adames is two years into his 7-year, $182 million contract he signed before the 2025 season.
GettyWASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 19: Willy Adames #2 of the San Francisco Giants looks back at the dugout after striking out to end the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Adames did not play in the remaining 32 games of the season due to a nagging back injury. The Giants mainly started utility infielder Christian Koss at shortstop while Adames was out.
However, Koss is probably not the long-term solution at the position. He has a career .239 batting and .615 OPS.
But the Giants have other intriguing options who can step in and play shortstop.
Casey Schmitt was having a breakout season with the SF Giants before a season-ending injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Schmitt has played 60 total games at shortstop during his 4-year career.
Recent trade acquisition Marcelo Mayer played only 6 games for the Giants this season, but he has experience at shortstop (26 games) from his time with the Boston Red Sox .
GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Marcelo Mayer #7 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Minnesota Twins at Oracle Park on September 23, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
One of the Giants' most exciting prospects, Josuar Gonzalez, also plays the position. Gonzalez, 18, is the team's No.1 ranked prospect and No. 15 overall.
The teenager showcased his skills at the minor league level this season. He finished the year with the Low-A San Jose Giants, slashing .357/.444/.566. The switch-hitter tallied 35 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 31 games in San Jose.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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