The Atlanta Braves did not meet expectations in 2024 after an early postseason exit. The team could look to bring another star into the mix before trying to make a run in 2025.
While listing the top 20 free agents and predicting where they would sign, FanSided’s Nick Villano predicted that the Braves would sign Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames.
“This one just makes sense. The Braves need a shortstop, and they have some money to spend,” wrote Villano. “Their injuries forced them to question their depth last season, and they are looking to salvage their core and win a World Series. Adames helps them with all of that and isn’t a huge risk thanks to his age and talent. The Braves also have no Ronald Acuna Jr. to start the year, so adding offensive help until he’s healthy is smart.”
Adames is coming off of a year where he set career highs in home runs, RBIs and stolen bases. Spotrac projects him to sign a six-year, $152 million deal in free agency. He is the clear-cut best shortstop available. The Braves may be looking to upgrade from Orlando Arcia after a fall-off from his All-Star form in 2023.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told reporters that the Brewers will try to sign Adames, but other teams have deeper pockets. Adames has noted that he would take less money to stay in Milwaukee, but he still wants to be paid what he feels he has earned, according to Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“I think the free-agent contract is going to be very valuable for him and quite high,” Attanasio told reporters. “We’ll do what we can to stretch, but others have bigger pocketbooks and, we’ll see what happens.”