Willy Adames era with Brewers officially over after insane contract with NL West club

When Willy Adames was substituted for in the 7th inning of the final game of the regular season, it felt like a fitting sendoff for a star shortstop that was heading towards free agency. Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy gave him that sendoff, knowing that chances were, "this was his last regular season home game in a Brewers uniform".

Murphy was right and Willy Adames officially has himself a new team out west. On Saturday afternoon, Jeff Passan reported that Willy Adames had agreed to a massive seven year, $182MM contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Brewers News: Willy Adames signs with NL West's San Francisco Giants

The departure of Adames is not at all surprising. He had a career season in 2024, he was the only elite shortstop on the free agent market, and the Brewers had not gotten any traction in extension talks over the last few years. The Brewers carried him through 2024 because of his value in the clubhouse, knowing that they would have to give him a qualifying offer and only recoup a draft pick in 2025 for him.

What is surprising about this news is that Adames signed before Juan Soto did. The prevailing opinion was that Adames would wait until after Soto signed, because the teams that lost the bidding for Soto were likely to pivot to Adames as their backup plan. That would've meant more teams with a lot of money in his market, which could've upped his total contract. Instead, Adames jumps Soto and goes to San Francisco.

The Giants always felt like a logical landing spot for Adames. They have a desperate need at shortstop, have been trying to sign star players to big deals for years and have been unsuccessful, and now they have new leadership in Buster Posey. Posey wants to restore that franchise to the dynasty that it was when he was a player and now he has his centerpiece.

The pitch for Adames had to be simple from San Francisco. The Giants were not in pursuit of Soto. Adames was their Plan A. Everyone else in his market likely viewed Adames as Plan B. While everyone else was distracted with Soto, the Giants were making moves with Adames and got far enough along in talks to get a deal done.

Now the Brewers can finalize their plans for shortstop in 2025. Joey Ortiz is the leading contender for the job. Milwaukee will need to add another infielder, whether it be a third baseman or a shortstop in order to fill the gap and make up Adames' production in the lineup.

Because Adames signed for well over $50MM, the compensation pick the Brewers will receive for Adames rejecting their qualifying offer will come between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A in the 2025 Draft, which should fall in the late 20s overall.