ESPN Believes Atlanta Braves Best Fit to Play Willie Adams

Atlanta Braves needs a serious upgrade. Luckily for them, they may be best suited for a better option on the open market. ESPN’s David Schoenfield called the Braves the best candidate to land free agent Willie Adams.

Shenfield wrote that while their current opponent, Orlando Arica, has a better glove, Adames’ bat has an advantage that far outweighs the defense. Even so, Adames’ gloves are more than serviceable.

“Arcia is the better defender, but Adames is good at shortstop and a much better hitter,” Schoenfield wrote.

The bigger question was whether the Braves could live up to the contract Adames would likely receive. Braves ready to spendso this may not be a problem.

Adames would fill a big hole with a hitting bat that the team desperately needed last season. He cut .251/.331/.462 and had 31 home runs and 112 RBIs. Both of those totals surpassed his previous career highs of 31 homers and 98 RBIs in 2022.

His greatest value comes when runners are in scoring position. Adams batted .293 with an OPS of 1.072. Eighteen of his home runs and 93 of his RBIs came in this situation. Both of these were the best in MLB last season.

Meanwhile, Arcia was the worst qualified hitter among runners in the 2024 scoring class. In this situation, he batted .155, had a .400 OPS, hit no home runs and had just 23 RBIs.

However, the Braves could decide not to pick up certain club options, which would create more spending opportunities on Adames. Shenfield listed Travis d’Arnaud ($8 million)Aaron Bummer ($7.25) andLuke Jackson ($7 million) as “a bit pricey for role players.”

He also mentioned that Max Fried’s departure as a free agent could free up additional spending space.

“If you don’t bring back all these players, there is room to sign Adames,” Schoenfeld wrote.

Bummer and Jackson are two options that should definitely be passed on, but d’Arnaud is worth keeping. He possibly theft under this contract than if he had been signed as a free agent.

To play devil’s advocate in favor of keeping d’Arnaud, they I have a bright prospect of capture in the person of Drake Baldwin who might be ready to take on a role at the Major League level.