Former Pirates star Brian Giles or NY Met Juan Soto? It’s not as crazy a question as you think

Who had the better stretch of seasons? The numbers tell a big story.

Juan Soto earned the largest contract in North American sports history this offseason.

Soto and the New York Mets agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal in December as Steve Cohen goes all-in on winning the Mets a championship.

You can argue if anyone deserves to make $765 million in professional sports, but the revenue and value of the game have made contracts significantly grow in the last 15 years to numbers no one could have seen coming.

It makes me wonder, what would former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Brian Giles have made in the heart of his career if he was a free agent this year?

Soto, a four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger winner, has earned more awards during his career (2018-2024), but Giles may have been a better offensive player.

In fact, the numbers don’t lie.

Comparing Soto’s past seven years to Giles’ peak from 1999-2005, Giles posted better numbers in almost every statistical category.

Giles Soto

1,150 Hits 934

207 Home Runs 201

701 RBI 592

67 Steals 57

.303 Batting Average .285

.418 On-Base .421

.972 OPS .953

Giles registered more hits (1,150-934), home runs, (207-201) RBIs (701-592), steals (67-57), and a higher batting average (.303-.285) and OPS (.972-.953) than a man making over $750 million. The RBIs number is a staggering 109 difference as Giles compiled most of the numbers with the Pirates.

Giles began his career in Pittsburgh during the 1999 season following four years in Cleveland. His dignified run ended with the San Diego Padres in 2005.

Playing at Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park, there is an argument to be made that Giles is one of the most underrated players in Pirates history.

In four-and-a-half years donning the black and gold (1999-2003) before being traded to San Diego, Giles totaled a 26.1 WAR, 782 hits, 501 runs, 174 doubles, 26 triples, 165 home runs, 506 RBIs, .308 batting average, and an OPS well over 1.000 (1.018).

His best season was the turn of the century in 2000, mashing 37 doubles, 35 homers, drove in a career-high 123 runs, and a 1.026 OPS en route to his first career All-Star Game. Crazily enough, Giles ended 1999 (1.032) and 2002 (1.072) with a higher OPS. He was ahead of his time to cash in and became one of the Steroid Era’s best hitters.

Giles could have earned a deal around $500 million today from a big league team with those numbers. His defense didn’t make waves, other than an incredible catch falling into the left-field seats at PNC Park, but Soto isn’t a pivotal defender either.

Giles signed a six-year, $45 million entering the 2000 season, $7.5 million per year. It equates to $13.75 million a season and would make Giles the 125th highest-paid player in baseball comparable to Dylan Cease and Max Muncy.

It’s hard to fathom that Giles, statistically speaking in most areas, rivals a top 3 hitter in the game. The only category that Soto stands out in is walks (769-539) by a substantial amount.

Giles deserves a tip of the cap. No doubt about this. The lefty is one of the best hitters in Pittsburgh Pirates history.