Another Milwaukee Brewers baseball season has come and gone.

In 2024 the team exceeded expectations with a very young group of position players, a bullpen primarily full of guys that other organizations previously gave up on, a starting rotation that featured 17 different pitchers, and a first year skipper in Pat Murphy who very likely will win manager of the year.

One player that they are expected to lose this off-season is Willy Adames.

With the World Series over, he officially became a free agent the day after its conclusion and a five day negotiating window with the Brewers opened up. Here is what likely will happen over the course of those five days.

Willy Adames can only negotiate with the Milwaukee Brewers for the first five days after the World Series concludes

MLB players file for free agency the day after the World Series concludes.  This officially makes them free agents, but for the first five days afterwards they can only negotiate with the team they were most recently a part of.

It is highly unlikely that Willy Adames and the Brewers agree to a deal during this five day window for regardless of what Milwaukee offers him; he will want to see what outside organizations are offering.

Willy Adames is a lock to receive a qualifying offer from the Milwaukee Brewers

In baseball teams can extend qualifying offers to select free agents.  A qualifying offer is a one year deal that is set at a designated value (the average salary of the top 125 highest paid MLB players).  This year the qualifying offer is worth $21.05 million.

Will Willy Adames return to the Brewers in 2025?

It seems very unlikely that Willy Adames will be in a Brewers uniform next year.

The 29 year old shortstop is the best available free agent at his position this off-season and he is coming off of a career season.  Taking a hometown discount won’t happen because he is expected to be pursued heavily by other big market teams such as Los Angeles and Atlanta that have the ability to offer a lot more from a financial perspective.