LaMonte Wade Jr. is among the players the Giants plan to offer a contract in arbitration, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters in Las Vegas.
Wade, 28, is one of 13 Giants eligible for arbitration. Since he struggled at the plate and with injuries in 2022, he was at risk of getting non-tendered before Zaidi’s Wednesday announcement.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic first reported the news.
Wade hit .207 with a eight home runs and a .665 OPS in 2022. A knee injury suffered in spring training delayed his season and prevented him from getting into a rhythm during the year. Side tightness and a thumb injury in September further derailed his season.
The disappointing performance comes one year after a miraculous 2021 in which Wade was named the Willie Mac Award winner. That year, Wade carried the offense for stretches and was one of the most productive players in high-leverage situations across the sport.
MLB Trade Rumors estimates Wade will earn $1.4 million in arbitration. That’s a small price to pay for someone with as much upside as Wade showed in 2021.
With Wade rostered, the Giants have three first basemen in him, J.D. Davis and Wilmer Flores. Wade also plays outfield, where Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater are likely to return.
The other 12 arbitration-eligible Giants are Yastrzemski, Slater, Davis, Logan Webb, John Brebbia, Thairo Estrada, Tyler Rogers, Zack Littell, Jharel Cotton, Jakob Junis, Jarlin García and Scott Alexander.