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After months of weighing moves to address the Giants’ biggest needs, Buster Posey has finally sprung into action with a pair of important additions this week.
One day after signing outfielder Harrison Bader to a two-year, $20.5 million deal, the Giants reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year, $12 million contract with infielder Luis Arráez.
USA Today first reported the terms of Arráez’s agreement, which is pending a physical.
The Dodgers, Mets, and Cubs have made the highest-profile acquisitions this winter, but the Giants have now added six players who project to play significant roles on their 26-man roster this season.
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Friday, Jan. 23
Arráez, 28, is a three-time batting champion who hit .292 with a .719 OPS in 154 games for the Padres last season. The Venezuelan has a career .317 average over seven big-league seasons, and will likely see most of his playing time as a second baseman in San Francisco.
Posey entered the offseason determined to improve the Giants’ defense and contact issues, and Bader and Arráez should each help. Bader grades out as one of the best defensive center fielders in the majors, while Arráez consistently posts high contact rates and has never struck out more than 48 times in a season. Bader’s contact rate is lower and Arráez is considered a shaky defender, especially at second base, but the Giants have so far been unwilling to make big free-agent splashes or part with top prospects in trades to acquire top-end talent.
Arráez’s signing likely pushes Casey Schmitt, the Giants’ starting second baseman in 2025, to the bench, but it also buys time for the organization to continue to allow top prospect Bryce Eldridge to develop in the minor leagues. If the Giants determine that Eldridge needs more at-bats at Triple-A before joining the big-league club, Schmitt could open the season at second base, Rafael Devers would start at first, and Arráez could serve as the designated hitter.
The late-January additions to the lineup follow the front office’s initial push to address the pitching staff.
The Giants made a pair of low-cost free-agent signings early in the offseason with the additions of lefty Sam Hentges and righty Jason Foley, who are both recovering from surgery. Posey then moved onto the rotation, where he signed Adrian Houser to a two-year, $22 million contract with a team option for 2028 and Tyler Mahle to a one-year, $10 million deal. The Bader signing was perhaps the biggest splash of the offseason to date as the journeyman outfielder represents a massive defensive upgrade in center field over Jung Hoo Lee, who is expected to move to right field this spring.
The reigning champion Dodgers will again be heavy favorites in the National League West — particularly after signing top outfielder Kyle Tucker and prized reliever Edwin Díaz — but the Giants have now addressed more weaknesses than the other three clubs in their division.
The Mets, buoyed by the signing of Bo Bichette and a trade for Freddy Peralta, should be the team to beat in the NL East while the Alex Bregman signing ensures the Cubs will remain a force in the NL Central, but the rest of the league appears wide open.
Posey and general manager Zack Minasian have been able to bolster the Giants’ depth without decimating an improving farm system, which took a step forward in 2025 and should benefit from an infusion of talent this year. The organization signed top Venezuelan shortstop prospect Luis Hernandez with a $5 million bonus in January and holds the No. 4 pick in this summer’s amateur draft.