Willy Adames’ tenure as a Milwaukee Brewer is officially over.
Making final what was expected for months, Adames found a home elsewhere in free agency, signing a reported seven-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday afternoon.
The 29-year-old shortstop is slated to make $182 million over the length of the contract, according to reports, a price tag the Brewers made clear they were not going to pay.
Adames, acquired via trade from Tampa Bay during the 2021 season, had a .780 OPS with 107 home runs across four seasons with the Brewers, not only excelling on the field but becoming a fan favorite and clubhouse leader off of it. The Brewers opted not to trade him entering the final year of team control in 2024 and he responded with a career year at the plate, slugging 32 homers and recording a .794 OPS.
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In turn, Adames landed the first marquee contract for a position player this off-season right before the start of Major League Baseball’s winter meetings in Dallas.
Adames’ contract just surprasses the 7-year, $177 million deal Dansby Swanson signed with the Chicago Cubs two off-seasons ago, part of a series of lucrative contracts for free agent shortstops across the league. With Adames two years away from free agency at the time of the shortstop market exploding, it made a contract extension unlikely to happen in Milwaukee despite both sides’ admiration for the other.
Jun 28, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) reacts after hitting a three run home run during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
As the 2024 season winded down, the Brewers made it clear there was almost no chance of them re-signing Adames in free agency, with owner Mark Attanasio commenting, ‘We’ll give it our best shot but there’s a lot deeper pockets out there.”
The Brewers will receive a compensatory pick for Adames signing with San Francisco. The pick will be between the end of the first round and beginning of the Competitive Balance A round in next summer’s draft.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers fan favorite Willy Adames signs massive contract with Giants
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