Willy Adames has yet to live up to the billing of the franchise-record seven-year, $182 million contract he signed with the Giants this offseason. President of baseball operations Buster Posey had a simple, two-word message for fans when he went on KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” this past Thursday.

“Be patient,” Posey said.

Prior to signing with San Francisco, Adames had a career .766 OPS and averaged about 26 home runs and 83 RBIs in full seasons. Through 58 games, by contrast, Adames has a .620 OPS and is on pace for about 14 home runs and 70 RBIs. Adames has also rated out as a below-average defender, entering Saturday with -7 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average.

Posey, who owned the previous franchise record for largest contract, said: “It’s not uncommon when superstar players sign a big deal and struggle out of the gate.” Hitting coach Pat Burrell, who played 12 major-league seasons, made a similar assessment.

“It’s all about them kind of finding their groove, and it’s our job to be patient,” Burrell told this news organization last month. “Keep working, keep believing, and letting these guys find their way. Willy is super talented. He’s got a track record that shows it. He’ll be fine.”

Posey cited Francisco Lindor and Trea Turner, a pair of shortstops who signed respective megadeals with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, as examples of players who initially struggled before returning to form. Posey also mentioned Juan Soto, whose numbers are down across the board after signing the largest contract in professional sports history.

The Giants’ president of baseball operations did not mention Bryce Harper, Manny Machado or Corey Seager on Thursday, but those three also initially struggled after signing big contracts with new teams before returning to form. Here’s a look at the OPS of Lindor, Turner, Harper and Machado before signing their deals; the first year of their deals; and the second year onwards.

Francisco Lindor (2015-20): .833 OPS
Francisco Lindor (2021): .734 OPS
Francisco Lindor (2022-25): .814 OPS

Trea Turner (2015-2022): .842 OPS
Trea Turner (2023): .778 OPS
Trea Turner (2024-25): .800 OPS

Bryce Harper (2012-2018): .900 OPS
Bryce Harper (2019): .882 OPS
Bryce Harper (2020-25): .926 OPS

Manny Machado (2012-18): .822 OPS
Manny Machado (2019): .796 OPS
Manny Machado (2020-25): .842 OPS

Corey Seager (2015-2021): .870 OPS
Corey Seager (2022): .772 OPS
Corey Seager (2023-25): .927 OPS

That quintet may have found success following their first years with their new teams, but there are also recent examples of shortstops failing to match their pre-contract production.

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During the 2022-23 offseason, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson all signed long-term, nine-figure contracts. Swanson, in particular, received nearly the exact same deal as Adames (seven years, $177 million). For varying reasons, those three have seen a dip in production.

Xander Bogaerts (2013-2022): .814 OPS
Xander Bogaerts (2023): .790 OPS
Xander Bogaerts (2024-Present): .683 OPS

Dansby Swanson (2016-2022): .738 OPS
Dansby Swanson (2023): .744 OPS
Dansby Swanson (2024-Present): .713 OPS

Carlos Correa (2015-2021): .837 OPS
Carlos Correa (2022): .834 OPS
Carlos Correa (2023-25): .768 OPS

As Posey and Burrell have both said, all the Giants can do at this juncture is take the patient approach with their new franchise player. San Francisco is currently in the midst of a brutal stretch offensively, and a productive Adames would go a long way towards providing the offense with some much-needed life.