Exploring Adames’ situation with the Brewers

This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it commonly in your inbox.

Adames was the speak of Wednesday night time’s Hot Stove & Cold Brews fanfest in Milwaukee because the ever-smiling shortstop took pictures with followers, blended cocktails and met the media. Especially when he met the media. Adames, one of many handful of Brewers stars two years shy of free company, reiterated that he desires to remain in Milwaukee long run. 

“I love the city, I love the fans, I Iove playing here,” he stated. 

And right here’s the half that actually jumped out: “We haven’t had any conversations yet,” Adames stated, “but I’m always ready to listen to see what they have.”

I don’t blame followers for being shocked to listen to that. Here’s a charismatic participant who supercharged the Brewers after coming over in a commerce in 2021, who has been voted membership MVP every of the previous two seasons and, at 4.7 fWAR in 2022, delivered practically twice the worth of every other Milwaukee place participant. He’s expressing publicly and adamantly that he desires to remain. He even picked up the bar tab for 600 followers on Wednesday night time. It’s completely affordable to ask why a crew wouldn’t speak with that participant about an extension. 

Here’s the issue. Just like with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff — two different extension candidates — Brewers officers, together with GM Matt Arnold, have a coverage of not discussing these issues on the report, besides in essentially the most basic of phrases to say that the crew is open to talks and that it’s a two-way avenue to make a deal occur. Arnold, like David Stearns earlier than him, by no means goes farther than that as a result of it advantages nobody to go face to face with a participant by way of the media. So we’re not precisely listening to each side.

The factor is, we all know there have certainly been some conversations between the Brewers and Adames. Adames stated so on the finish of final season, when he relayed a dialog with then-president of baseball operations Stearns by which Adames says he expressed his openness to remain.

Logic and expertise tells me that the Brewers and Adames’ reps have talked greater than it appears. During final season, there have been some rumblings that the Brewers had even put a proposal in entrance of Adames someday earlier than Opening Day, although neither Adames nor the crew has confirmed that. And we all know the edges have had in depth contact this winter, since Adames, like Burnes, Eric Lauer, Luis Urías, Keston Hiura and others is represented by CAA Sports. Isn’t it logical to suppose that in their numerous discussions the edges broached the idea of longer-term contracts, even when simply to get a vibe about curiosity? 

I’m additionally sure that Arnold loves Adames, contemplating Arnold was with the Rays once they bought Adames from the Tigers within the David Price deal in 2014, and when the Brewers bought Adames in May of ’21. 

But, you may love a participant and nonetheless acknowledge the fact that the final two calendar years had been powerful on the Brewers’ possibilities. Here are the mega contracts for free-agent shortstops because the begin of 2021:

• Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340 million)

• Francisco Lindor (10 years, $341 million)

• Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million)

• Javier Báez (six years, $140 million)

• Trevor Story (six years, $140 million)

• Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million)

• Trea Turner (11 years, $300 million)

• Xander Bogaerts (11 years, $280 million)

• Dansby Swanson (seven years, $177 million)

• Carlos Correa (six years, $200 million)

I’ll be accused of carrying water for the Brewers, and that’s high quality, however the actuality is {that a} contract within the $23-$25 million per 12 months vary (and up) represents a large danger, particularly within the context of the $26 million per 12 months guess on Christian Yelich in March 2020. There’s nonetheless hope that Yelich will ship on that funding, however it’s consultant of the danger concerned.

Adding one other big extension for Adames — or Burnes or Woodruff — would depart no room for error for a membership that topped out final 12 months at a few $137 million payroll. If the outlook for Yelich doesn’t enhance, and one other huge extension doesn’t pan out as deliberate, it may plunge the Brewers into the form of teardown they’ve stated they’re making an attempt to keep away from.

If you suppose the Brewers ought to blow previous that payroll determine to capitalize on the elite beginning pitching they’ve assembled, that’s a sound stance. But it’s a special dialogue. A GM has to function throughout the parameters they’re given.  

Then there’s the participant facet. If you’re Adames’ agent, and also you see the marketplace for shortstops up to now two-plus years, wouldn’t you be enticed to succeed in the open market along with your participant going into his age-29 season, and see what it bears? 

There’s nonetheless loads of time for this to unfold. Remember, Adames has yet one more 12 months of contractual management earlier than reaching free company after the 2024 season.