MLB Rumors: Two Teams Emerging For Giants' Willy Adames
Adames is in the second year of a seven-year, $182 million contract, the largest deal in Giants history, and has struggled to live up to it.
He is slashing .229/.274/.434 with 13 home runs, 31 RBIs, and a .708 OPS across 307 plate appearances this season, numbers that follow two underwhelming seasons in San Francisco where he never posted an OPS above .740.
His contract runs through 2031 at a $26 million luxury-tax AAV, his deal includes a no-trade clause, and his strict shortstop-only role limits the field of potential suitors.
The Giants would have to eat a significant portion of the remaining money to facilitate any deal.
Here are the two landing spots that make the most sense.
Atlanta Braves
Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer named the Braves the best overall fit for Adames.
Atlanta's shortstops have combined for a .639 OPS this season, the ninth-worst figure in baseball at the position, and even the disappointing 2026 version of Adames would be an upgrade.
2nd homer of the day for Willy Adames!
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) June 17, 2026
His 13 homers trail only CJ Abrams among NL shortstops 💪 pic.twitter.com/LO7M0sCseU
The Braves were an MVP-caliber environment for Adames once before in a sense, given his peak came with a Brewers club built similarly around pitching and defense, and a change of scenery onto a contender could help him rediscover the form that made him a star in Milwaukee.
Philadelphia Phillies
Adames fits the Phillies for the same reason Matt Chapman does.
Since May 1, Philadelphia's shortstops rank last in MLB in fWAR at minus-0.5, and it is not close, with a .189/.230/.280 line at the position that has been one of the worst in baseball.
The Giants have won 3 in a row
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) June 18, 2026
A solid performance tonight from Carson Whisenhunt. He went 5 innings allowing only 2 runs
Luis Arraez homered and drove in 4 runs
Bryce Eldridge hit a home run
Willy Adames also homered
Rafael Devers had a couple of doubles and an RBI
The… pic.twitter.com/0K1uXjswjl
The Phillies are in win-now mode and have the financial capacity to absorb a contract that scares off smaller-market teams, making them one of the few organizations both motivated and able to take Adames on.
Other Contenders With Shortstop Needs
Beyond Atlanta and Philadelphia, the field of realistic suitors narrows because of the shortstop-only role and the no-trade clause.
Any deal hinges on Adames approving his destination and a contending team being willing to absorb the remaining years for an immediate postseason push.
The next few weeks will test whether any club views the upside of a bounce-back as worth the financial commitment, with the Giants almost certainly needing to retain salary to get any conversation to a serious stage before the August 3 deadline.
