Dodgers Made Offer to Willy Adames, Competing With $160 Million Deal From NL Rival: Report
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly made an offer to free agent shortstop Willy Adames, per MLB insider Mike Rodriguez.
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Rodriguez reports Adames “has a proposal from the Dodgers.” He also says Adames has a seven-year, $160 million deal on the table from the New York Mets. The Mets, however, want Adames to play third base, as they have Francisco Lindor at shortstop.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this week that Adames “wants to stay at shortstop,” but would be open to moving to a different position “if he gets a strong offer from a team in position to win.”
The Mets, who lost in six games in the National League Championship Series to the Dodgers, seem to check those boxes. However, Adames is in no rush to make a decision on his future.
Adames is one of the best bats available on the free agent market. The 29-year-old is coming off a 2024 season in which he slashed .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs and 112 runs batted in, both career-highs. Adames has hit at least 24 home runs in each of the last four seasons, and has been linked to the Dodgers numerous times as a potential trade target.
While the Dodgers never traded for Adames, they now have the opportunity to sign him in free agency. As of now, the Dodgers’ shortstop options for next season include NLCS MVP Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, and Gavin Lux.
However, the team likely wants to use Edman all over the field, and Rojas is unlikely to be an every day player. The Dodgers could elect to put Betts back at shortstop, or try again with Lux. However, adding Adames would be the best option, with Betts sliding over to second base.
It remains to be seen if the Dodgers open their checkbooks for Adames while they still have plenty of their own free agents they’re trying to sign. But if they have an offer on the table, they’re clearly interested in adding the star shortstop as a splash addition this offseason.
READ MORE: First Pitch: Ranking known Juan Soto suitors based on rumored wish list items
With the MLB offseason officially under way, the Juan Soto sweepstakes have officially begun. It’s not too often that you see one of the best players in the game hit free agency at just 26 years old, and the outfielder has a chance to cash in to a historic degree. Whether Soto eclipses the $700 million Shohei Ohtani got last offseason from the Los Angeles Dodgers remains to be seen, but we know Scott Boras is going to try to do just that. Regardless, it’s going to be one of the biggest contracts in sports history.
With that in mind, not all 30 teams are realistically involved in the bidding for Soto. The money will just be too unreasonable for most small-market teams to even think about. Just seven teams are known to be involved, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, with another four teams being labeled as “real mysteries.”
