The Milwaukee Brewers, in recent years, always seem to surprise people. Every offseason, national baseball analysts pick either the Chicago Cubs or St. Louis Cardinals to win the National League Central Division. Yet, every year, it is the Brewers who are making a run at the division title. In the past six seasons, Milwaukee has won the division three times, including last year.
Going into this season, not many people were giving the Brewers much of a chance to make the postseason, much less repeat as division champions. Of course, this was because manager Craig Counsell bolted for Chicago Cubs and ace Corbin Burnes was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. With these two important mainstays of the Brewers’ recent run of success gone, many believed the team would struggle.
However, Milwaukee is currently 34-23 and in first place in the National League Central Division. Not only that, but they are the only team in the division with a positive run differential and the only team above .500.
The Milwaukee Brewers Have Been Led by Several Players This Season, Including Willy Adames
To get to this point in the season, Milwaukee has had to rely on the contributions of several young players, including some rookies. Third baseman Joey Ortiz, for example, is hitting .288/.388/.508 with five home runs and 20 RBI while hitting just about anywhere in the lineup that manager Pat Murphy puts him.
Second baseman Brice Turang, who struggled at the plate as a rookie last year, appears to have made the quantum leap Murphy predicted he would in Spring Training. So far this season, he is hitting .298/.361/.414 with three home runs, 21 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.
Of course, the Brewers have also seen some of their more established veterans produce is big ways this season. Christian Yelich, after five hits and five RBI against the Chicago White Sox on Friday night, is now hitting .325/.406/.564 with six home runs and 27 RBI. William Contreras, arguably the best catcher in baseball, is hitting .323/.394/.402 with eight home runs, 44 RBI, and a National League-leading 46 runs.
Shortstop Willy Adames is tied for the team lead in home runs with nine, and is hitting .256/.335/.453 with 39 RBI. As he is currently playing in his final year of club control, many assumed that he would have been traded this offseason, much like Burnes. Even now, some wonder if Milwaukee might try to unload him at the trade deadline in order to get some prospects for him.
In a recent interview with Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, owner Mark Attanasio addressed those rumors.
The Milwaukee Brewers Had Offers for Willy Adames
Hogg asked Attanasio about the rumors that Milwaukee had tried to give Adames a contract extension during the offseason, and those that stated the Brewers had received significant trade offers for their star shortstop. Attanasio replied:
“Yes, there were conversations. Willy’s performance got to a point where it would be – we’ll see what happens after the season – but he’s going to command quite a significant package as a free agent. The best thing I can say about that is we had plenty of offers for Willy Adames this off-season. If you put (them) into an analytic model there may have been some merit to build for the future.
“But you just can’t put a price on his leadership, his posting every day. Willy Adames does not want to miss a game. So guess what, now William Contreras doesn’t want to miss a game. We’ve developed a culture and Willy’s a key.”
Adames is going to hit the open market as one of the top free agents in baseball. There is little doubt that he could be making much more than the Brewers are going to be able to pay him.
It is also interesting to note that the Brewers turned down trade offers for Adames, noting that they could not put a price on his leadership. Indeed, he is always at the heart of team celebrations and has taken several rookies under his wing.
When it came to the question of whether or not Adames would be traded at the deadline this year, general manager Matt Arnold told Hogg:
“From my perspective you can never close the door on anything, but he is the heartbeat of our team in a lot of ways. Always want to stay open minded but also recognize the value that he brings to us everyday.”
In other words, if Adames does get traded, the return would need to be monumental. It does not sound like he is going anywhere.
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