Not Juan Soto but $182M Giants Star Named Biggest Disappointment This Season So Far by MLB Execs

The 2025 MLB season was supposed to be all about new beginnings and big stars living up to even bigger contracts. Fans and experts alike had their eyes on Juan Soto, expecting the New York Mets’ new slugger to face the harshest scrutiny if things went south. But as the calendar flipped to May, the spotlight shifted in a surprising direction.

Instead of Soto, it’s the San Francisco Giants’ $182 million man, Willy Adames, who has become the talk of the league—and not for the reasons anyone hoped. In a poll of MLB executives, Adames was named the biggest disappointment of the young season with four votes, outpacing even the most-watched names in the game. “Early struggles on both sides have stood out more, given the expectations tied to being a key addition for the Giants this offseason,” said an AL executive.

Echoing the same sentiment, an NL executive suggested, “The Giants have to be worried already about how this signing will age.” After all, the Giants acquired Adames in a seven-year, $182 million contract—the highest in the franchise history. Adames’ struggles at the plate have been hard to ignore. Through his first 32 games, he’s batting just .194 with a .604 OPS and only two home runs. Well, it’s certainly a far cry from the power and production he delivered in Milwaukee last year.

Execs dish on biggest surprises, disappointments in @MLB so far https://t.co/twjol8qNL6

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) May 2, 2025

With Soto always in the headlines, many expected him to earn the infamous label of “biggest disappointment.” But things haven’t been as gloomy in New York as they have in San Francisco. Soto has shown positive signs, including two home runs at Citi Field on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In fact, franchise owner Steve Cohen also expressed his confidence in him, asserting, “I’m not worried about Juan. He’s singularly focused on baseball. He’s a pure hitter.”

The same optimism, however, cannot be extended to Adames, who is enduring a similar rough patch. Still, it’s important to remember his strong 2024 season with the Brewers. He posted a .251 average, 153 hits, 32 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 93 runs across 161 games. Despite his early struggles this year, Adames has shown signs of life recently, batting .250 with nine hits, a home run, and five runs scored over his last 10 games.

These are encouraging signs, and perhaps Adames will soon turn the tide and prove his critics wrong. Giants fans can only hope.

Giants’ Willy Adames shows some upward trend 

Despite a disappointing start, Adames appears to be finding his rhythm. His willingness to adjust at the plate—such as pushing balls to the opposite field—was on display during Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres. 

Although the Giants lost 7-4 to the Padres, Adames managed to show some glimmer of hope. In the fourth inning, he swung at the second pitch and launched a 93.6 mph fastball from Nick Pivetta. The outcome? Well, it was out of the park, and the exit velocity touched up to 105 mph.

“I feel every time I’m doing good, I hit the fastball the other way,” Adames said, his face lit up with positivity and joy. While the loss stung, the way he handled that at-bat gave him much-needed motivation. More importantly, his batting average was just .185 on April 18. And now, it has climbed to .270, with six runs, seven RBIs, five walks, and a .727 OPS.

So, is Willy Adames truly the biggest disappointment this season? Or is he on the verge of turning things around? The answer may become clearer as the season unfolds.

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