Willy Adames’ career with the Brewers came to an end on Saturday, as expected.
After spending parts of four seasons in Milwaukee, where he hit 107 home runs and became a fan favorite, Adames, 29, agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The Giants have not announced the transaction, which is still pending a physical examination.
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It is the Giants’ highest contract ever, surpassing the $167 million deal signed in 2013 by Buster Posey, who was recently elected president of baseball operations.
Milwaukee officials, all the way up to principal owner Mark Attanasio, have been candid in recent months that they expect Adames to sign a contract that exceeds what the Brewers consider reasonable for their position, especially since they already have two potential shortstops in the works in 26-year-old third baseman Joey Ortiz and 25-year-old, Gold Glove Award-winning second baseman Brice Turang. Ortiz has five years of club control remaining, while Turang has four.
The Brewers received multiple offers for Adames last offseason and at this year’s Trade Deadline, but chose to keep him for his production (he set career highs with 32 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases while starting all but one of the Brewers’ 165 regular season and postseason games) and his influence in the clubhouse, particularly with 20-year-old phenom Jackson Chourio. Chourio, the youngest player in Major League Baseball, placed third in the NL Rookie of the Year Award voting after overcoming a rough start with aid from Adames, catcher William Contreras, and others.
The Brewers extended Adames a qualifying offer, which he declined as expected. Because of this, and because he is signing a contract with a new team worth more than $50 million, Milwaukee will receive an additional selection in next year’s Draft between the end of the first round and the start of Competitive Balance Round A.
This means Milwaukee will have two picks in fast succession, in addition to their customary first-round selection. The order for the competitive balance rounds was set this week, and the Brewers received the first pick in Competitive Balance Round A.
“[Adames] and Robin [Yount] are probably the two greatest shortstops to play here, and a cherished part of our history,” Attanasio stated during the September season. “We’re appreciative of everything he has done here.”
The numbers justify Adames’ inclusion in that exclusive group. His 15.7 FanGraphs WAR is second in Brewers history for a starting shortstop, trailing only Yount (66.5) and slightly ahead of former All-Star J.J. Hardy (11.0).
