Brewers Reportedly Might Have To Cough Up $200 Million To Retain Fan Favorite

Will Milwaukee say goodbye to the young slugger this winter?

Sep 18, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers celebrates after beating the Philadelphia Phillies and clinching the NL Central Division Championship at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers aren't focused on the offseason yet after clinching the National League Central title for a second consecutive season Wednesday night.

Despite having the odds stacked against them before the season started, the Brewers are in an excellent position to chase the franchise's first-ever World Series pennant.

However, winter is coming and at some point, Milwaukee needs to figure out how to retain one of the roster's most important assets, who could be in for a significant salary bump.

"His (Willy Adames) huge platform year sets him up for a monster deal," New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday afternoon. "A club-record 32 home runs for a shortstop plus 109 RBIs (one less than NL leader (Shohei) Ohtani) could translate to $200M-plus."

Adames is batting .248 with 62 extra-base hits including 32 home runs, 109 RBIs and a .795 OPS in 152 games played for the Brew crew this season.

The 29-year-old recently became the only shortstop in Brewers history to log multiple 25-home run seasons -- doing so in five out of seven seasons (counting 2020 with COVID-19 restrictions) played in the big leagues.

It's rare to find a shortstop with Adames's slugging power and big-market clubs are likely to aggressively pursue the Dominican-born infielder this offseason.

With Milwaukee being a small-market organization, losing a bidding war for Adames is a serious concern. Retaining the talented shortstop won't come cheap and it'll be interesting to see how high the Brewers are willing to go during contract negotiations.

More MLB: Brewers Face Legal Obstacle With Rising Star As Club Approaches NL Central Title