ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 8: Willy Adames #27 of the Milwaukee Brewers reacts after hitting a solo … More
After a long flight across the country, the Milwaukee Brewers will see a familiar face Monday night when they open a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
It will mark the first time the Brewers matchup with former shortstop Willy Adames, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants last December after a stellar four-season run in Milwaukee.
“It’ll be nice to see Willy,” outfielder Sal Frelick said. “We’ll say hi before the game and after that, it’s time to play baseball, but it’ll be good to see him.”
Replacing Adames, the player, is a tall task, especially after he slashed .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBIs and a .794 OPS last season. The Brewers did little to address the loss of that production during the offseason, choosing instead to bet on increased production from their returning crop of young talent.
They face an even bigger challenge replacing Adames’ presence in the clubhouse and dugout, where he established himself as the undisputed leader of the team.
It didn’t take long for him to establish himself in that position, either.
Adames was batting just .197 with a .625 OPS when he was acquired from the Rays on May 21, 2021 in exchange for pitchers Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereysen but he caught fire with Milwaukee, slashing .285/.366/.521 with 20 homers and an .886 OPS.
His numbers dipped slightly the next two seasons but he still slugged 55 homers and drove in 178 runs in 2022 and ‘23, forcing the Brewers to make a difficult decision heading into 2024 – Adames’ last season of arbitration-eligibility.
Logic would suggest that a small-market team like Milwaukee would be unlikely to afford the type of deal Adames would command on the open market and thus, be better served by trading him for a haul of young, controllable prospects.
“We had plenty of offers for Willy Adames (heading into 2024),” Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said. “If you put (them) into an analytic model there may have been some merit to build for the future.”
Instead, general manager Matt Arnold defied that logic by keeping Adames in the fold for one more year.
The move paid off handsomely as Adames’ offense carried a team expected to rebuild to 93 victories and another division title and his leadership helped a clubhouse full of young players – including 20-year-old phenom Jackson Chourio – learn how to be major-league ballplayers.
“He had a tremendous impact on the room, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. ”What a pick-up. What energy, what a clutch player – think of the clutch hits he had for us, he wanted to be in those situations. What a career he had here.”
“Because of what he meant to that room, what he meant to Contreras and Chourio, his work ethic and his positivity and how he treated people was just special.”
Adames may have left, but he’s still one of the most respected players to ever wear a Brewers uniform and his now-former teammates are quick to credit him, for his performance as well as his leadership and guidance, a fact that gives Adames a great deal of pride.
“It makes me feel good,” Adames said. “It makes me feel like they appreciated what I brought to the table there but for me, I’m just the same guy every day. I try to help my guys as much as I can and be the best teammate you can be. When you do that, people are going to speak highly of you.”
So how will the Brewers handle Adames, the first time he steps into the batter’s box Monday night?
Murphy had an idea.
“If there’s nobody on base, just throw it underhand,” the skipper joked. “Just give him the cookie.”
