After a dominating season in which he hit 32 home runs and drove in 112 runs, both career highs, Willy Adames’ time is up in Milwaukee. The shortstop is now a free agent and he can collect on his talent in the form of a long term contract elsewhere.
The Brewers traded for the then twenty-five year old a quarter of the way through the 2021 season. After arriving from the Tampa Bay Rays, Adames caught fire and has been a solid middle infielder for the team since.
It was another correct decision by Brewers management. First with David Stearns as general manager from 2015 to 2021 and then Matt Arnold from 2021 when Stearns moved on to president of baseball operations.
The Brewers have been a playoff team in six of the last seven seasons. The wins haven’t stopped despite the constant forced change of players or management.
They didn’t stop when Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun got old. They didn’t stop when back injuries turned league MVP Chris Yelich into a less than average player after the 2019 season. Not when Stearns moved on to the New York Mets.
Long time manager Counsell leaves Brewers
They didn’t stop this season when the Brewers took a quadruple hit. First the loss of the one constant through all of these playoff appearances when the Cubs signed away manager Craig Counsell after eight years at the helm.
Their manager who the Brewers were about to reward with a big contract ended up getting the largest sum ever for a big league manager at $40 millon for five years in Chicago.
The other three hits were to the team’s three best pitchers. First Brandon Woodruff was non tendered but eventually re-signed. He had suffered a shoulder injury at the end of 2023 and never threw a pitch this season.
Then ace and former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes was traded to Baltimore. Burnes bringing back some talent with one year to go before his impending free agency.
Next closer Devin Williams, who had taken over for all star Josh Hader when he was traded before his free agency, went down with injury. He missed four months with stress fractures in his back.
The Brewers just kept winning. Yelich returned to a decent facsimile of his former self before that back gave out again. He played his last game at the end of July.
Young Chourio explodes in 2nd half
The bullpen stepped by committee until Williams returned. They found a new rising star Jackson Chourio, smartly signing the 20 year old through his age 29 season. Chourio went off as he put in time. His OPS in the first half .678 and .914 in the 2nd.
Twenty five year old Tobias Myers stepped into the starting rotation and gave the team 138 solid innings and of course the new manager. Pat Murphy was named manager of the year with Milwaukee winning 93 games and the NL central by ten games.
So the off season starts with loss of course with the departure of Adames and the need for a shortstop and the big numbers he delivered. They’ll get Woodruff back and hope he looks like his old self and they’ll get back to what they do. Finding a way to win no matter what befalls them.
