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 no less than checked in with the Brewers about Adames’ availability, and the New York Submit’s Jon Heyman (through X) writes that the Braves and Giants additionally had Adames as a “goal” previously. As Adames is now set to change into a free agent this winter, any of those groups may nicely be suitors once more on the open market, although naturally a free agent pursuit and a commerce pursuit may be very totally different endeavors.
Atlanta shortstop Orlando Arcia had a dismal yr on the plate after posting stable numbers in 2022-23. Arcia remains to be underneath contract for 2025 however just for $2MM (and a $1MM buyout of a $2MM membership possibility for 2026), so the Braves may signal Adames and nonetheless preserve Arcia round as veteran infield depth. With Adames more likely 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 working Atlanta’s entrance workplace. Nonetheless, a extra aggressive foray into free company is likely to be seen as vital after three straight playoff disappointments, and Anthopoulos actually hasn’t been shy about spending on the whole, 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’ main shortstop in 2024. That stated, Fitzgerald has performed at six totally different positions throughout his two years within the large 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 workforce arguably the league’s greatest left aspect of the infield. Touchdown Adames (or one other large identify) can be a simple manner 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 shortly, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer stories that president of baseball operations Nick Krall first touched base with Francona through a telephone dialog on September 26. Krall had gotten permission from the Guardians to talk with Francona (who was nonetheless with the workforce in a particular assistant function), as Francona was atop the Reds’ listing of practically 100 doable managerial candidates however “with an asterisk,” relying on the longtime skipper’s well being and whether or not he needed to return after a yr away from the game. Krall and GM Brad Meador met with Francona in Tucson on October 2, and had been impressed sufficient to name proprietor Bob Castellini to fly to Tucson the following day to finalize the contract. In different particulars on the managerial search, interim supervisor Freddie Benavides had put himself on the Reds’ brief listing with a wonderful set of interviews, and Rangers affiliate supervisor Will Venable was additionally on the listing of high targets. It seems as if Benavides may’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 night time, 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 had been exploring the likelihood that Yamamoto was tipping his pitches when runners had been on base, and Ardaya notes that Yamamoto had an analogous pitch-tipping concern throughout Spring Coaching. Or, the issue may simply be that the Padres have Yamamoto’s quantity, as they tagged him for eight runs over six innings in two begins in the course of the common season. Both state of affairs is of course a priority for L.A. in the remainder of the sequence, and Roberts solely stated Yamamoto was “in play” to pitch throughout a possible Sport 5, if not essentially as a starter.
