Brewers manager all but confirms beloved fan favorite won't return in 2025

Willy Adames has been a staple in Milwaukee since May 22nd, 2021. The Brewers acquired Adames from the Tampa Bay Rays, along with Trevor Richards, in exchange for Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen. Very quickly, Adames became a fan favorite in Milwaukee and his time here may soon be coming to an end.

Coming into the season, everyone knew that Willy Adames was entering his final year of arbitration. There were rumors that the Brewers could trade Adames with a full season of control to try to get some value back for him while they could, similar to what happened with Corbin Burnes. Instead, the Brewers held on to their beloved shortstop.

The Brewers were handsomely rewarded as Adames put up his best season in Milwaukee since arriving in 2021. He finished the year hitting .251 with 33 doubles, 32 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases. It was everything Adames was looking for in a contract year.

While Milwaukee is heading to the postseason and there are still more games to play with Adames in a Brewers uniform, no one knows when the end will come for this team. It could be in the first round, it could culminate in a World Series title. Regardless, manager Pat Murphy wanted to give Adames a proper send-off in front of the Brewers faithful.

Adames is earning $12.25MM this year and will be a free agent following the conclusion of the postseason. In free agency, Adames is the top shortstop on the market, bringing a well above-average bat at a premium position with solid defense. He will be in high demand. Any team looking for a shortstop will be looking to sign Adames.

Based on his performance this year, the price tag for Adames kept getting higher and higher and it's likely gotten so high that the Brewers have very little chance to sign him back on a long-term deal. Some may hold out hope, but even Brewers manager Pat Murphy admitted postgame that the reality of the situation is that he's going to be gone, which is why he gave Adames the ceremonial send-off.

"Chances are that's his last regular season game in a Brewer uniform and everybody knows that. I wanted him to feel that, feel the appreciation and I wanted the fans to get a chance to do that" Murphy said

Everybody knows that this is his last regular season game. It's no secret. While the Brewers likely would love to retain Adames, it's easy to see how high the price tag is and it's quite fair to assume that some other team will be better suited to pay it.

"It meant a lot. It felt like all the work that we've done the last three years is appreciated. When the fans show you so much love like that, it's amazing. I have a lot of respect for everybody in this clubhouse and for the fans, too. So it's special... It's one of those moments that touch your heart" Adames said.

The Brewers have two ready-made replacements on the active roster for Adames at shortstop. Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz are shortstops by trade with excellent defensive reputations. Upon his removal from Sunday's game, Ortiz slid over to shortstop as Andruw Monasterio took over at third base.

The message from Murphy here is to enjoy watching Willy Adames while you can because it's not hard to see that he's unlikely to come back in 2025.

No matter what, Adames will still be a beloved Brewer, even if he comes to town wearing a different uniform next season, he will get cheered and supported in this town. He's been a fan favorite from the moment he was acquired.