Willy Adames was a central component of a 2024 Milwaukee Brewers team that overcame significant personnel losses to win the NL Central. Now he, too, is leaving.
The former Brewers’ shortstop agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal, which is pending a physical, reportedly includes a $22 million signing bonus.
The deal is the largest in franchise history by total value, surpassing Buster Posey’s eight-year, $167 million contract signed in 2013. Posey recently became the Giants’ president of baseball operations, putting him in a key position with this deal.
Because Adames turned down a qualifying offer, the Brewers will receive draft pick compensation from San Francisco.
In joining the Giants, Adames finds a team that will use him as a true shortstop. There was some speculation that he could move to third base with certain suitors, but in San Francisco he’ll slot in nicely alongside All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman.
With Chapman having signed a six-year, $151 million extension in September, San Francisco now has the left side of its infield locked down for more than half a decade. Adames is under contract through 2031, which will be his age-35 season.
San Francisco is also bringing in a star shortstop two years after the infamous Carlos Correa miss, in which the Minnesota Twins shortstop agreed to a 12-year, $350 million contract that was later spiked due to injury concerns about his right ankle. Correa later landed with the New York Mets, then the Twins again after the Mets deal similarly fell through.
Willy Adames quietly became a star with the Brewers
Adames’ exit comes a year after the Brewers saw the departures of ace Corbin Burnes, manager Craig Counsell and president of baseball operations David Stearns last winter. They regrouped admirably, winning 93 games in 2024, but now must find another way to continue their stretch of NL Central excellence.
The deal rewards Adames for a career season in 2024 in which he hit .251/.331/.462 while holding down shortstop for an MLB-best 161 games. He didn’t enter free agency with the juice of, say, a Trea Turner or Xander Bogaerts (both of whom got at least $280 million), but he was easily the top player at the shortstop position this winter and the No. 5 player on the Top 50 free-agent board at Yahoo Sports.
Adames has been one of the most underrated players for years, as evidenced by the fact that he has never made an All-Star Game, despite being a shortstop with a career 109 OPS+. He is an above-average hitter capable of playing the game’s most important position outside of the battery, and those players get paid.
It feels so long ago, but Adames’ run as an underrated player began when he was the shortstop not named Wander Franco on the Tampa Bay Rays. During his fourth season in Tampa, Adames was traded to Milwaukee to make room for Franco, a can’t-miss prospect whose career ended in a Dominican courtroom over disturbing allegations.
The Brewers enjoyed the fruits of the deal immediately and received 14.0 WAR from Adames over the course of three-and-a-half seasons. He was a defensive keystone, a middle-of-the-order bat and a clubhouse leader. Milwaukee built its recent teams on quiet moves turning into big wins, and Adames was one of the biggest examples of that.
What to make of Adames’ deal with San Francisco?
For Adames, this deal is a big win.
Most projections had his average annual value pegged correctly, but few predicted a seventh year. The total surpasses the seven-year, $177 million pact Dansby Swanson and the Cubs inked before the 2023 season, a contract that many saw as a potential comp here. Adames had voiced a willingness to move to other infield positions if needed, but that won’t be necessary at Oracle Park, with hot-corner wizard Chapman in San Francisco through 2030.
Whether Posey and the Giants are finished spending this winter remains to be seen. The club has a number of glaring needs, most notably a power-oriented corner outfielder and another starting pitcher to replace the departed Blake Snell. As currently constructed, the Giants remain behind Los Angeles and San Diego in the NL West picture.
The Adames deal is good, but Posey and Co. should keep going. Read more. — Jake Mintz