Wilmer Flores has exercised his $3.5MM player option for the 2025 season, the Giants announced. Flores signed a three-year, $16.5MM extension with the Giants in September 2022 that allowed him to opt out of the 2025 season, and the club would’ve then had an $8.5MM club option to decide on if Flores did opt out.
Of course, this all became a moot point due to an injury-marred 2024 season for the veteran infielder. Flores was bothered by knee problems all year, resulting in a pair of trips to the injured list and a season-ending Tenex procedure in early August. Flores concluded his 12th Major League season with an ugly .206/.277/.318 slash line over 242 plate appearances, and a sub-replacement level -0.7 fWAR in 71 games.
It made Flores’ decision to exercise his option a pretty easy call, and the $3.5MM salary is low enough that it wouldn’t be a surprise if San Francisco chose to move on from the 33-year-old entirely in the form of a release. A trade also isn’t out of the question if another team views Flores as a bounce-back candidate, or the Giants themselves might see Flores as a useful player to keep around if they feel he’ll return to form when healthy.
After all, it was just a season ago that Flores hit .284/.355/.509 with 23 homers for San Francisco during 454 PA during the 2023 campaign. Flores’ ability to play first, second, and third base and his traditionally strong numbers against left-handed pitching made him a valuable member of the Giants’ platoon mix prior to this past season. The Giants have been rumored to be in the mix for a bigger upgrade at first base, but if such help isn’t acquired, the team could fall back on a Flores/LaMonte Wade Jr. platoon at the cold corner.
Posey will ship him off to the White Sox as punishment for exercising his option.
Love me some Wilmer. If he’s healthy and can bounce back, he’d be a bargain at $3.5M. If he’s toast, that’s hardly a sum that will hamstring the Giants payroll.
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Let’s hope Wilmer can come back fully healthy and provide his value once again…
He could have a bounce back year and plays multiple positions albeit average. at 3.5m not a huge dent maybe tradeable once he shows to have bounced back otherwise giants may have to eat it – if his struggles continue
The talk about positional flexibility is a bit overrated. He has only played 6 games at 2nd base since 2022 and hasn’t started a game there since 2022. He started in 52 games with the Giants last year and 42 of those starts were at 1st base, 8 more were at the DH spot. In 2023, he started 97 games, 45 at 1st base and 36 at DH.
Bottom line is that he’s becoming a 1st-DH type player so if he does not hit, his “versatility” really doesn’t help the club.