Ahead of the NL Wild Card Series a few weeks ago, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio painted a sobering picture for the club regarding shortstop Willy Adames’ free agency. During a news conference Attanasio predicted the value for Adames in the open market to be “very high,” and said the club would “do what we can do to stretch, but others have bigger pocketbooks.”
Presented with those comments in a recent interview, Adames empathized with Attanasio, saying that he understood it’d be a hard decision while repeatedly referring to Milwaukee as a place that holds special meaning to him.
Milwaukee matters so much to Adames, he said, that he’d be willing to take less money to stick around — but it depends.
“I’m willing to stay here for less money, let’s say, but I just want to be fair for what I deserve in my career and whatever I’ve done,” Adames said. “We just have to wait and see where we’re at. You never know what’s going to happen and you never know who is going to be willing to make that commitment with me for a long time.”
It sounded like a nice sentiment.
But the reality is that Adames likely ends up elsewhere.
Adames is 29 and coming off a strong offensive season at a premium position. In the spring, The Athletic’s Tim Britton projected Adames’ upcoming free agent deal at
5 years, $120 million. But Adames’ performance has pushed that projection to 6 years, $150 million. That’s a commitment well beyond where small-market Milwaukee is comfortable, rendering even a small discount as moot.
Also, the Brewers may have an in-house replacement in slick-fielding Joey Ortiz, who could move from third base.
Ever since the Brewers acquired Adames from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021, he has thrived. While playing solid defense at short , Adames had a .766 OPS during his three-plus seasons and hit 107 home runs. Playing in 161 games in 2024, he slashed .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBIs and a career-best 21 stolen bases.
It’s not just what he offers at the plate or on the basepaths that makes Adames special. Teammates and club officials often said Adames provided an infectious energy as someone able to connect with players from all corners of the clubhouse.
To this point, Adames has never played in a big market, having spent his entire career in two of MLB’s tiniest. Speculatively speaking in free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers loom as a logical match, though there are others. Adames said he has no concerns about playing in a larger market, pointing to his ability to perform under pressure during his walk year and his personality.
“I feel like it would be easier,” Adames said. “The pressure is going to be bigger. But pressure is everywhere in the big leagues. You have to be good. You have to perform. You have to make adjustments. It doesn’t matter where you’re at.
“And I feel like with my personality, it’s going to be even better if I’m in a big market. I think people would embrace that and give me more love just because it’s more people. So I’m not worried about that because I know how I am and I know how I treat people.”
After the trade deadline, a scout from a playoff team said of Jesse Winker, “I wish our team was the one who traded for him. He plays with attitude. We have too many nice guys.”
Upon arriving to the New York Mets from the Washington Nationals over the summer, Winker put his personality on full display. He accepted more of a part-time role, receiving action in the corner outfield spots and at designated hitter, while seeing right-handed pitchers on a near-exclusive basis.
He admired his long home runs, occasionally staring at their flight path while still in the batter’s box. He played to the home crowd, motioning for them several times to stand up after big hits or before entering the dugout. And he even slammed his helmet down on home plate during the Wild Card Series against the Brewers. Fired up? You bet.
“Honestly, it’s just how I’ve always played,” Winker said. “I’ve always felt that baseball, for me, I love it. I love everything about it. The competition. The chess match. How games unfold. All of that.
“When I step on the field, I want to play as hard as I can. It can come across as ‘attitude’ or ‘edge’ or however you want to describe it. But this is just how I’ve always played. I compete at everything. People can interpret that however they may, but I just really want to help my team win. That’s why you play the game.”
The Mets’ front office appreciated Winker’s style. It seemed like New York’s fan base did, too. But Winker, 31, is now a free agent. He proved he can still produce, after shedding weight last offseason and posting some of his best offensive numbers since 2021. The Mets have interest in bringing him back, but other contending clubs will certainly view his skill set and personality as appealing.
“I hope they see a guy who loves playing the game,” Winker said. “I care about my teammates. I care about winning. Honestly, I hope they just see a guy who is thankful to put a uniform on.”
For the second straight winter, Blake Snell figures to be one of baseball’s most coveted free agents. One of the best starting pitchers available, Snell, 31, should garner interest from the usual heavy spenders.
Snell opted out of the two-year $62 million contract he signed with the San Francisco Giants, a decision that was expected. However, that doesn’t rule out a reunion between the two. The Giants, along with the Mets, figure to be in on the Snell sweepstakes. The Dodgers had heavy interest in Snell last season and came close to trading for him; the expectation is that they will have interest once more.
Depending on Juan Soto’s market, the Yankees could be in the mix as well. One industry source also floated the Blue Jays and Rangers as potential suitors, depending on cost.
The Athletic projected Snell to land a four-year, $110 million contract. Unlike last winter, when he didn’t sign until spring training games had already begun, Snell would prefer to avoid drawing out his free-agency process.
(Top photo of Adames: John Fisher / Getty Images)
