Willy Adames hot stretch comes with mixed emotions for the Brewers

Jackson Chourio's grand slam was the highlight from Monday's 9-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals that Milwaukee Brewers fans will watch on repeat, understandably, but earlier in the victory, Willy Adames continued his hot streak by hitting a three-run homer in the first inning.

That home run made Adames the third Brewer in franchise history to hit home runs in five consecutive games, joining Jeromy Burnitz (1997) and Eric Thames (2017) on that exclusive list. It also gave Adames 29 home runs and 99 RBI on the year, one home run and RBI shy of 30 and 100.

He has been on fire for the 81-57 Brewers who have built a commanding lead in the NL Central seemingly against all odds thanks in large part to his play, especially lately.

Adames carrying the team offensively is obviously great, and should help the Brewers immensely as they gear up for what they hope to be a deep postseason run. As fun as it has been to watch him tear the cover off the ball, Brewers fans can't help but wonder how much longer they'll have the chance to watch Adames, an upcoming free agent, dominate in their uniform.

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Willy Adames' hot streak is only driving up his price even further

Adames has always had tons of power, but it's everything else he can do as a shortstop that make him such a valuable player. Not only does Adames have 15 stolen bases, but he's a strong defender too at a premium position. He's taken a bit of a step back on that end this season, but was in the 99th percentile in OAA in 2023 according to Baseball Savant, which considering what he adds offensively, is pretty incredible.

Being the complete player that he is, Adames was already going to generate tons of interest on the open market. The fact that he's currently leading the National League in RBI and going on a tear to help his team make the postseason in a year in which they weren't supposed to will only add to that interest.

The Brewers are a small market team. They did not trade Corbin Burnes because they wanted to, they did it because they knew they weren't going to pay him after the 2024 campaign. The same can be said about Josh Hader who was dealt at the 2022 trade deadline. The Brewers did not trade Adames, but how realistic are their chances of re-signing him?

Perhaps if the Toronto Blue Jays consider trading Bo Bichette this offseason that will drive some of the interest away from Adames so that the Brewers can maybe get him back, but the shortstop market looks incredibly weak in free agency.

With how well he has played this season, Adames was sure to get a massive payday - presumably one that the Brewers would be uncomfortable giving out. With how well he has played lately, his price is only going up. Milwaukee can't be ruled out, especially if Adames is willing to take less, but that's far from a guarantee.

For now, Brewers fans can and should enjoy Adames performing like a star for them while he's wearing their uniform. Still, it's hard to watch Adames do what he's been doing and not think at all about his upcoming free agency and the possibility of his time in Milwaukee running out.