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Brewers Rumors: Ranking Bleacher Report's potential Willy Adames trades

Following the Corbin Burnes trade, is Willy Adames the next Brewer to be moved?

By William Moxon |
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St. Louis Cardinals v Milwaukee Brewers / John Fisher/GettyImages
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Last week saw the Milwaukee Brewers depart with former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes as he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for D.L. Hall, Joey Ortiz and a Competitive Balance Round A draft pick.

Throughout the offseason there have been talks of Milwaukee moving on from their higher-valued players that teams were monitoring. Shortstop Willy Adames is one of those names and with Ortiz also being a shortstop, it has increased the talk around Adames being traded.

Bleacher Report put out an article with trade ideas involving Willy Adames in reaction to Burnes being traded. Here we are going to rank the proposed landing spots and suggested trades.

Ranking Bleacher Report's potential Willy Adames trades

4. San Francisco Giants

Trade

Last place on the list for me is the deal that would see Adames move to the Bay area. The Brewers would in return receive Casey Schmitt, Joey Bart and Erik Miller.

The San Francisco Giants have Marco Luciano in their ranks and he is expected to be pushing for the starting shortstop position and would look to Adames and he had specifically been named in the San Francisco Chronicle.

From the Brewers point of view I am not sure this trade does much to improve the team. Schmitt played in 90 games last season for the Giants as they finished fourth in the NL West. He averaged just .206 and an OBP of .255. These averages are not too disimillar to Ortiz's .206/.255/.324 who just joined the Brewers and is more known for his defensive capabilities. Not to say Schmitt couldn't grow into a better hitter as he was around the .300 mark in the minors, but again Ortiz was hitting at a similar rate.

Bart may be a former second overall pick and have been one of the top prospects in baseball, but he has failed to hold down the position behind the plate for the Giants. He featured in just 30 games in 2023 and was hitting a pretty measly .207. With William Contreras at catcher, Jeferson Quero expected to be called up and then Eric Haase signed to a deal that could see him be backup until Quero arrives, there is no need for Bart.

The catcher has ran out of minor league options and is expected to miss the Opening Day roster and so for me it would be a pretty poor deal for the Brewers.

3. Cleveland Guardians

Trade

The deal with the Cleveland Guardians would see the Brewers land their ninth ranked prospect Jaison Chourio, brother of Jackson Chourio, then a pair of pitchers in Will Dion and Cade Smith.

For the Guardians this would help them tie down the shortstop position having moved Amed Rosario last season. Adames would be a good addition for them as they look to improve their offense from the worst home run hitting team and bottom five in runs per game.

It was tough to decide if this took the third or second place on this list but I settled with them placing third. Having the Chourio brothers in the Brewers organization together would be great for the future in Milwaukee and Jaison is making a name for himself in the minors, hitting .321/.446/.411 in 48 games across his time at rookie and Single-A level. Just nine of those games were at Single-A and his production did take a big hit but at just 18 he still has a bright future and pairing him and Jackson could be quite fun.

Where the trade lacks slightly is with the two pitchers. Granted both are still young and learning their craft in the minors and the Brewers ability to improve pitchers could see them both become strong MLB options. Dion is just 23 and the lefty pitched 116.2 innings across A+ and Double-A, registering a 2.39 ERA and allowing just a .213 average against.

Smith is 24 and was playing at Triple-A last season and struggled. The 6'5 righty out of the bullpen registered a 4.65 ERA in 40.2 innings pitched and that is a slight concern for someone that would be expecting to arrive in the majors in the next year or two.

Both pitchers can definitely be worked on and have room to improve, adding Jaison Chourio would be a lot of fun too but they're all further away from impacting the club and I think the next two deals are much better for the Brewers.

2. Tampa Bay Rays

Trade

In the number two spot is a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays that would see Adames return in exchange for Tampa's fourth ranked prospect Osleivis Basabe, Yoniel Curet and Greg Jones.

The Rays are now chasing the Orioles after their great season and adding Burnes as they look to cement their position atop the AL East. The Yankees made the big move for Juan Soto and the Blue Jays are always going to be in the hunt for the playoffs with their roster.

Basabe is MLB-ready and hit .296/.351/.426 in 94 Triple-A games last season. This came with 16 steals and 58 RBIs. He could immediately come into the starting shortstop position left by Adames and at 23 years old has plenty of room to grow with the rest of the young Brewers roster. He even featured late on in 31 games for the Rays and hit .218/.277/.310 in the majors.

Jones is a little older at 25 and was also in Triple-A baseball last season. The switch-hitting infielder batted .278/.344/.467 in 51 games. This would allow the Brewers to experiment with the two and Ortiz and use guys depending on matchups and even see if any can tie down the third base spot.

The final player the Brewers would get is 21-year old starter Yoniel Curet. Across Single-A and A+ he averaged a 2.94 ERA over 104 innings with a .149 batting average. He is certainly someone the Brewers could look to develop alongside their other young pitching talent coming through the ranks. With the likes of Jacob Misiorowski and Robert Gasser expected to be called up soon, Curet could the next one in the conveyer belt of pitchers that the Brewers develop through to the majors.

Overall, I quite like this trade and it gives the Brewers young pieces that can be effective now but with plenty of room to grow. Now onto top spot.

1. Miami Marlins

Trade

Taking the top spot is this deal with the Miami Marlins and I like it a lot. In return for Adames the Brewers would receive Xavier Edwards, Sixto Sanchez and the Marlins' ninth ranked prospect Troy Johnston.

The Marlins have struggled in the shortstop position and Adames would be the perfect player for them and could potentially be immediately offered an extension should he take his talents to Miami.

For the Brewers this deal is brilliant. Xavier Edwards is more than ready to feature in the majors and in 30 games for Miami in 2023 he was hitting an impressive .295/.329/.333. The switch-hitter lit up the Triple-A level with a staggering .351 average in 93 games. He is not necessarily a power hitter but he gets on base well and can easily slot straight in at shortstop.

Sanchez is the big intrigue here as he is a former top prospect and everyone is aware of the talent he has on the mound. In the shortened 2020 season, he pitched in seven games for the Marlins, with a 3-2 record and 3.46 ERA. In July of 2021 he underwent season-ending surgery on his right shoulder and then again in October of 2022. He has been rehabbing since and made his return to the mound in September of last year where he pitched a scoreless frame. That right shoulder is of course a concern but there is the potential for so much upside with Sanchez and he can be immediate help following the Burnes trade.

The last piece of the trade is left-handed first baseman Troy Johnston who at 26 should be looking to be called up soon. Across 134 games at Double-A and Triple-A last year, he hit .307/.399.549 including 26 home runs and 116 RBIs. Of course Rhys Hoskins is the new first basemen for the Brewers but having the alternative of Johnston is no bad thing.

This trade if offered would be one I would like the Brewers to explore and it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks leading up to Spring Training.

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