Brewers dark horse Willy Adames threat just gained a massive edge in free agency

The Milwaukee Brewers shocked the baseball world by winning the NL Central division title comfortably in large part due to the play of Willy Adames. The Brewers shortstop slashed .251/.331/.462 while setting career-highs with 32 home runs and 112 RBI in 161 games during the regular season. He established himself as a premier shortstop in this league at the perfect time.

The timing was so perfect not only because the Brewers needed him to offset some of their losses, but also because the 2024 campaign was Adames' last under team control. With the season now complete, he is set to hit free agency in just a matter of days.

Milwaukee would love to bring him back, obviously, but Adames earned himself a boatload of money thanks to his career year. That, and the fact that a team that will almost certainly be in the running for him, the Atlanta Braves, just opened a ton of money up to sign him, make it more likely that the 29-year-old is going to leave Milwaukee for the NL East.

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Braves might've just gained massive edge in Willy Adames sweepstakes

The Braves just kicked off the offseason by making a trade, sending Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Griffin Canning. On the one hand, the deal makes no sense. The Braves traded Soler, a player who, despite his limitations, can be productive, in exchange for Canning, a pitcher who should be non-tendered by Atlanta. The Braves essentially traded Soler for nothing, or, in the very best-case scenario, a depth starter.

On the other hand, though, the Braves cleared a ton of money with this move. Since the Angels didn't force the Braves to eat any of the contract, all they had to send away to get Soler was Canning. Assuming the Braves do non-tender Canning, they'll open up $32 million to spend. Soler was set to make $16 million in 2025 and 2026.

Now, Adames is going to go for more than just $16 million per year, but the Braves have several players like Max Fried, A.J. Minter, Charlie Morton, and Adam Duvall (to name a few) set to hit free agency. They'll be clearing a ton of money on top of what they already opened up with the Soler trade, giving themselves a prime opportunity to be major offseason spenders.

Most of the Braves team is built out for the long term, but one spot that could use some improvement is the shortstop position. Orlando Arcia followed his All-Star campaign in 2023 with an extremely disappointing season that saw him post a .625 OPS and struggle mightily with runners in scoring position. He has a good glove, but that's not super hard to find.

Whether the Braves will spend what it takes on a player like Adames remains to be seen, but the fit is quite clear. The Soler trade opened the path for them to do it. The Brewers shouldn't be ruled out of the running quite yet, but with a prime suitor opening up so much space to bring Adames aboard, it's hard to be optimistic when it comes to Adames calling Milwaukee home for the foreseeable future.