Willy Adames has lengthy been talked about in commerce rumors, with the Dodgers one membership recognized to have had previous curiosity within the star shortstop. It’s truthful to guess that any variety of groups not less than checked in with the Brewers about Adames’ availability, and the New York Publish’s Jon Heyman (through X) writes that the Braves and Giants additionally had Adames as a “goal” up to now. As Adames is now set to turn out to be a free agent this winter, any of those groups might nicely be suitors once more on the open market, although naturally a free agent pursuit and a commerce pursuit might be very totally different endeavors.
Atlanta shortstop Orlando Arcia had a dismal yr on the plate after posting strong numbers in 2022-23. Arcia continues to be underneath contract for 2025 however just for $2MM (and a $1MM buyout of a $2MM membership possibility for 2026), so the Braves might signal Adames and nonetheless preserve Arcia round as veteran infield depth. With Adames prone to command a contract within the $150MM vary, signing the shortstop would symbolize one thing of a departure for Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, whose free agent signings have been pretty restricted throughout his seven seasons operating Atlanta’s entrance workplace. Nonetheless, a extra aggressive foray into free company could be seen as obligatory after three straight playoff disappointments, and Anthopoulos actually hasn’t been shy about spending usually, as evidenced by the Braves’ heavy slate of contract extensions.
Tyler Fitzgerald hit nicely in his rookie season however was a subpar defender because the Giants’ major shortstop in 2024. That mentioned, Fitzgerald has performed at six totally different positions throughout his two years within the huge leagues, so it’s straightforward to see San Francisco shift him to a different spot on the diamond to accommodate Adames. The Giants have lengthy been wanting to convey top-tier free brokers to the roster, and with Matt Chapman already signed to a brand new contract, including Adames would give the group arguably the league’s greatest left facet of the infield. Touchdown Adames (or one other huge title) can be a straightforward means for Buster Posey to make a splash in his first offseason because the Giants’ new president of baseball ops.
Extra from across the Nationwide League….
- The Reds’ hiring of Terry Francona got here collectively rapidly, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer studies that president of baseball operations Nick Krall first touched base with Francona through a cellphone dialog on September 26. Krall had gotten permission from the Guardians to talk with Francona (who was nonetheless with the group in a particular assistant position), as Francona was atop the Reds’ checklist of practically 100 attainable managerial candidates however “with an asterisk,” relying on the longtime skipper’s well being and whether or not he wished to return after a yr away from the game. Krall and GM Brad Meador met with Francona in Tucson on October 2, and have been impressed sufficient to name proprietor Bob Castellini to fly to Tucson the subsequent day to finalize the contract. In different particulars on the managerial search, interim supervisor Freddie Benavides had put himself on the Reds’ quick checklist with a wonderful set of interviews, and Rangers affiliate supervisor Will Venable was additionally on the checklist of high targets. It seems as if Benavides would possibly’ve been the one different candidate to really interview, as Francona’s emergence precluded the Reds’ want to talk with Venable, or different rumored candidates as David Ross or Skip Schumaker.
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto was rocked for 5 runs over three innings in Sport 1 of the NLDS final evening, although the Dodgers got here again for a 7-5 win over the Padres. Supervisor Dave Roberts informed reporters (together with The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that the Dodgers have been exploring the likelihood that Yamamoto was tipping his pitches when runners have been on base, and Ardaya notes that Yamamoto had the same pitch-tipping subject throughout Spring Coaching. Or, the issue would possibly simply be that the Padres have Yamamoto’s quantity, as they tagged him for eight runs over six innings in two begins throughout the common season. Both situation is of course a priority for L.A. in the remainder of the collection, and Roberts solely mentioned Yamamoto was “in play” to pitch throughout a possible Sport 5, if not essentially as a starter.