Willy Adames Isn't Coming Back To The Brewers. Here Are 3 Options To Replace Him.

While other teams are rolling out the red carpet for Willy Adames, Milwaukee hasn't done much to retain him. Matt Arnold made his typical PR comments of "he has earned the right to explore the market," while Pat Murphy more earnestly said "if he comes back, that means he didn't get the deal he was looking for."

Meanwhile, teams like the Phillies and Red Sox have expressed explicit interest. Boston has even discussed moving Rafael Devers off of third base to allow Adames to take over. In other words, the Red Sox are willing to reinvent their entire infield to accommodate Adames, while the Brewers seem barely willing to talk about it. Thus, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he'll be with a new squad in 2025, so let's spend some time pondering some potential replacements for him. 

Kiké Hernández
393 PA, .229/.281/.373, 85 OPS+, 1.3 rWAR
At first glance, there’s not much to write home about from the longtime Dodgers infielder. He has been described as a postseason hero and a “vibes guy”, but statistically, his offensive production was below-average. In fact, it has always been below average, as his career OPS+ is just 92. However, he made a big adjustment in the second half of 2024. Even the statistics-avoidant may have noticed this change.

Earlier in the season, he and fellow Puerto Rican Martín Maldonado were having a casual conversation in which Maldonado mentioned he and other White Sox players were getting glasses after poor results from eye tests taken in spring training. Intrigued, Hernández took an eye test of his own and was diagnosed with an astigmatism in his right eye, causing slightly blurred vision. Starting right around the All-Star break, he wore glasses with a prescription lens.

The results? He went from a .557 OPS before the break to a .766 OPS thereafter. He carried over this success into the postseason, hitting for a .294 average with an .808 OPS. Aside from the clear improvement in the high-level statistics, his performance against breaking balls took the biggest step forward—more than likely a symptom of his improved eyesight and being able to see pitches more clearly.

It remains to be seen how long he can maintain this new version of himself at the plate, but he seems like a good fit for the Brewers. Aside from his newfound hitting prowess, he's got excellent defensive utility and could bounce several infield positions assuming Milwaukee chooses to move Joey Ortiz back to shortstop. At just over 33 years old, he likely wouldn’t sign for more than a few years with team-friendly financial terms, further incentive for the Brewers to pursue him this offseason. 

Amed Rosario
346 PA, .280/.306/.380, 94 OPS+, -0.1 rWAR
Rosario has had a hard time finding his footing recently. Since being traded by the Guardians in 2023, he has been sent to three different teams, and has had two separate stints with the Dodgers. After a productive start to the year with the Rays, he was designated for assignment by the Dodgers and Reds to end the season. 

But there could still be some value to be found in his profile. First, his numbers with Tampa should hold more weight, given the small sample size of 71 total plate appearances between Cincinnati and Los Angeles. Over 275 plate appearances with the Rays, he posted a .748 OPS (114 OPS+) with a .307 batting average. His on-base percentage was held back by a league-worst 2.6% walk rate, but putting the ball in play is still cool. Just ask Luis Arráez!

His quality of contact numbers are below-average and his defensive numbers are rarely good, so what would the Brewers be getting in Rosario? Well, he’s relatively young at just 29 years old, giving them time to work on the characteristics he’s still lacking. The Brewers are much better at fixing arms than bats, but it’s also hard to say how bad Rosario really is. He has had stretches of greatness and is only a few years removed from his four-win season in 2022. He’ll be cheap, so even if he’s signed and disappoints, it wouldn’t lead to any disastrous long-term effects (probably).

Hyeseong Kim
567 PA, .326/.383/.458, 26 2B, 4 3B, 11 HR, 75 RBI, 30 SB
The most enticing international free agent not named Roki Sasaki is an infielder from the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO. A defensive whiz who has already won three Gold Glove awards, he’s the only player in league history to win at second base and shortstop. His bat isn’t too shabby either, with a career batting average of .304 over nearly 4,000 KBO plate appearances. 

The Brewers haven’t been big on signing international free agents from Japan or Korea, but that may be because of the often lofty prices placed on them. He has sufficient experience to be considered a full-fledged professional free agent à la Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but isn’t projected to receive nearly the same amount of money. MLB Trade Rumors is projecting him to sign a three-year, $24 million deal, comfortably within the spending comfort range of Milwaukee if they choose to go after him. As with many Korean players, it can be difficult to assess exactly what you’re getting. Some, like Ji Hwan Bae and Ji-man Choi have struggled to be regular contributors at the big-league level, while others, like Ha Seong Kim (who was Hyeseong Kim's KBO infield comrade), have been exceptional.

Scouts have reported Kim as having great speed and defense, qualities the Brewers tend to love as seen in players like Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins. He’s projected to be posted next week, so we’ll see if Milwaukee ends up being one of the seriously interested parties.