As the offseason kicks into full gear, the two most recent National League Championship Series participants are already targeting the same free agent: Willy Adames.
According to Mike Rodriguez on Twitter/X, both the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets have shot contract proposals to Adames:
According to Rodriguez, the Mets' offer is for more than $160 million and seven years.
Adames became a free agent after hitting 32 home runs and driving in 112 runs for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024. He hasn't played a position other than shortstop since his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.
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Yet Adames, 29, might have to move positions in New York, where Francisco Lindor just fashioned an MVP-caliber season for the Mets at shortstop.
Adames joined the Brewers in a 2021 trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. Since then he's slashed .244/.323/.457 while playing 548 games -- all at shortstop.
According to Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic, Adames wants to stay at shortstop but would be willing to move to other positions for the right offer.
In October, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Mets could shift him to third base, and move Mark Vientos to first base if Pete Alonso leaves in free agency. Jorge Castillo of ESPN reported more recently that the Mets have considered signing Adames and moving him to third base, while other teams have considered moving him to second base.
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Heyman reported Tuesday that the Dodgers -- who have attempted to acquire Adames in the past -- might not see shortstop as an urgent need this offseason after Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas traded off at the position en route to a World Series title in October. Both Edman and Rojas are returning in 2025.
But a position switch might be in order for Adames, even if a team change is not. He had a down year in the field in 2024 with 10 fielding errors, a minus-16 Defensive Runs Saved, and a plus-1 Outs Above Average at shortstop.
The Mets' and Dodgers' early interest in Adames reinforces the widely held belief that the two teams are poised to spend big this offseason. They both rode top-5 payrolls to the top of the National League in 2024. The Dodgers beat the Mets in a six-game NLCS before beating the New York Yankees in the World Series.