San Francisco Giants lock in important piece in Wilmer Flores

Wilmer Flores has been an important piece for the San Francisco Giants over the past three years. That will not change in the near future.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Giants and Flores have agreed on a two year extension, including a mutual option for 2025. At this point, details of the extension have not been revealed.

San Francisco Giants keep important part of roster in place

Flores has been a solid part of the Giants’ lineup over the past three seasons. He has moved between first, second, and third fairly equally, seeing at least 30 games at each position over the past two years.

That pattern of usage is likely to continue as Flores has become a valued utility man in San Francisco, especially as the Giants’ infield consists of older players in Brandon Belt, Tommy La Stella, and Evan Longoria as the starters at those positions. Belt and Longoria could be free agents after this season as well, making Flores all the more important.

His defensive flexibility is just a part of the package. He has typically been an above average bat during his major league career, making him even more valuable as a utility player. That has continued to be the case this season as Flores has posted a 104 OPS+ with 18 homers and 26 doubles in his 523 plate appearances heading into Monday.

This contract is not likely to have a major impact on their payroll for 2023. As it currently stands, the Giants have approximately $89 million in salary committed to next season. While locking Flores in is important to their lineup in the future, he will not cost so much as to limit their moves to improve the roster moving forward, something that could be even more important as they may need to replace both corner infielders. This could be a win-win for both sides.

The San Francisco Giants have reportedly agreed to an extension with Wilmer Flores. An important part of their lineup has been locked in for the near future.