Giants and outfielder Michael Conforto Agreed to a two-year, $36 million deal Bob Nightingale from USA Today. Conforto would be able to opt out after the first season, at ESPN’s Buster Olney. The transaction is pending physical.
Conforto, 30 in March, was the best remaining play in the free agent market based on his stellar streak of results from 2017 through 2020. Not without risk for the Giants, however, as Conforto had a disappointing 2021 season and then missed the 2022 season. entirely due to shoulder surgery.
In that span of 2017-2020, Conforto got into 467 games for the Mets and hit 97 home runs. His run rate of 24.4% was just above average, but his walk rate of 12.7% was well above average. His total offensive output resulted in a .265/.369/.495 hitting streak, which was 33% higher than the league average on the wRC+ scale. His 133 wRC+ was among the top 25 of all qualifying hitters in baseball during that time.
In 2021, Conforto production is down, particularly in the power department. He hit just 14 home runs in 125 games after hitting 27 or more in the previous three full seasons. He finished the year with a .232/.344/.384 slash, which was still slightly above average as his wRC+ was 106, but a marked drop from his previous form. That year though, the Mets felt comfortable making a qualifying offer of $18.4 million, and Conforto felt comfortable saying no.
He went into free agency looking for a lucrative multi-year offer but did not secure it before closing on December 1. He then injured his shoulder while training during this lockdown and eventually required an operation. Given his uncertain health and pending forfeiting a draft pick from declining a qualifying offer, it removed any chance he had of getting a significant contract. Once he passed the draft and was no longer associated with any sort of penalty, there were some rumors of some teams considering signing him to a shortstop deal while hoping his shoulder could heal enough to help with the extended run, but that never materialized.
Conforto then entered this season as a high-stakes, high-reward game. He’s coming off a lost full season and a poor showing in 2021, but he was one of the best hitters in baseball before that. MLBTR sign He’ll get a one-year, $15 million deal, hoping to prove himself right and return to free agency for a more lucrative deal a year from now. Agent Conforto, Scott Boras, He said that his client would be looking for a two-year opt-out deal similar to the one he negotiated Carlos Rodon and giants. The situations were more or less the same because Rodon was also a very talented player with health concerns. However, he was at least coming off a strong season in 2021 when he was Believer That $44 million two-year deal with the Giants, so it looked like Conforto would have to settle for something less given his huge skepticism. Now he’s already got the deal he’s been looking for, with the Giants once again proving they’re the team willing to opt out. Conforto was guaranteed less than Rodón, as expected, but did well for himself in getting a higher salary than expected.
More is coming.
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