Milwaukee Brewers need to pay the man what he deserves

There are two major league shortstops with at least 30 homers this season. One is Corey Seager with the Texas Rangers. The other? Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames.

In the third inning, Adames sent Jameson Taillon’s sinker deep to left for a three run homer for his 30th of the year. That home run set a Brewers team record for the most homers for a shortstop, breaking the record of 29 set by Hall of Famer Robin Yount back in 1982.

Milwaukee Brewers need to pony up for an extension

There is a major difference in salary for those two players. Seager received a ten year contract worth $325 million during the most recent offseason and is receiving $33 million this season. It is a hefty payday for a player who not only has been one of the better shortstops in the majors but is also expected to be a key part of the Rangers’ rebuild.

Adames is not making anywhere near that amount. He received just $4.6 million this year and is in his first year of arbitration. It will still be a couple more years until he is theoretically able to test free agency and get that large contract. While he will not make close to the same amount that Seager received in free agency, he would still get a sizable deal.

It is a deal that the Brewers need to make happen. Their window to contend is going to start closing if they do not extend key pieces as evidenced by how they spiraled once Josh Hader was sent away. It will be even worse if the likes of Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Adames are not locked in soon.

The key is to find the right type of deal. If Adames did reach free agency, he may be able to receive something similar to the six year, $140 million contract that was given to both Javier Baez and Trevor Story. Locking him up now could lead to a reasonable discount while keeping a key part of the Brewers’ lineup in place for the foreseeable future.

Willy Adames has put his name in the Milwaukee Brewers’ history books. Now they need to find the money to keep him for the long term.