Brewers' Willy Adames is finally making his qualifying offer decision official

The Milwaukee Brewers extended their first ever qualifying offer to Willy Adames back on November 4th. After a couple week long wait that felt like an eternity, Adames has finally made his decision and he's decided to decline the offer.

The QO carries a $21.05 million salary for the 2025 season, which would've made Adames the second-highest paid player on the Brewers, behind Christian Yelich. Instead, Adames rejected the offer and will remain a free agent.

This is an expected outcome of the decision. All along, Adames was expected to reject the offer as he seeks a long-term deal worth $200 million in free agency. The Brewers are highly unlikely to be able to give him that kind of contract and carried him through his final year of arbitration knowing that he was likely to walk in free agency.

Willy Adames to decline Brewers' qualifying offer

Should Adames sign with another team in free agency for more than $50MM, a very likely outcome, then the Brewers would receive a 2025 Draft pick after the end of the first round and before Competitive Balance Round A. That pick will likely fall somewhere in the very early 30s of the Draft order.

Adames is coming off a career season, hitting .251 with 32 home runs and 112 RBIs. At 29 years old, he's still in his prime and is in great position to land a lucrative, multi-year contract on the open market. Also helping his market is the fact that he's the only top tier shortstop available in free agency. Ha-Seong Kim is the other available starting-caliber shortstop but he's coming off shoulder surgery.

Adames is rumored to be open to moving to third base as well as a way to expand his market increase his potential payday. There are already several teams rumored to be interested in Adames, including the Dodgers, Giants, and Braves.

With Adames rejecting the qualifying offer, the Brewers seem to have little chance to bring Adames back in a Milwaukee uniform for 2025. Their best hope would be for Adames' market to somehow crater and for him to languish on the open market late into the offseason where he may be willing to accept a one year deal for a salary similar to the qualifying offer, but the chances of that happening are extremely slim.

This decision from Adames is merely a formality that ensures the Brewers will receive at least some compensation in the form of a draft pick in the likely event he signs elsewhere.