Willy Adames' contract creates opening for Chicago Cubs in the NL Central

The Milwaukee Brewers have officially lost Willy Adames to free agency, potentially giving the Chicago Cubs an opportunity in the NL Central.

The 29-year-old Adames inked a 7-year deal with the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, leaving a gaping hole in the Brewers' offense. Since Milwaukee traded for Adames in 2021, the shortstop has been a prolific power hitter at the heart of their lineup. 2024 was arguably the best of Adames' career, where he posted a .251/.331/.462 slash line, hit 32 home runs, 33 doubles, and drove in 112.

His 3.1 WAR in 2024 will not be easy to replace, especially because the Brewers typically do not pursue high-end free agents. The Brewers also do not have a clear answer in their system to take over at shortstop. Second Baseman Brice Turang and third baseman Joey Ortiz can both play the position, so the team has big-league options if they acquire a different infielder. But they do not have a top shortstop prospect, or second or third baseman for that matter, that is big-league ready yet.

Trades are typically where the Brewers thrive at acquiring top talent, but they don't have many tradable top prospects. The organization currently has three players in MLB's top 100 list, and it's hard to imagine them trading any of them.

Catcher Jeferson Quero is likely the team's backstop of the future and short-term backup for Williams Contreras. Shortstop Cooper Pratt could be moved since he won't be ready until 2027, but they would be trading a potentially elite talent from a position of need. The third prospect is right-handed pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, who is projected to be a starting pitching contributor as soon as 2025 and the Brewers need help in their rotation. While their system as a whole is solid, the team is probably going to want to hang on to their higher-end prospects given the state of the major league roster. This could make trades more difficult to swing, especially for top-tier targets.

While Milwaukee usually comes up with some kind of clever solution that makes Cubs fans look like fools for expecting them to fail, Adames departing the NL Central certainly leaves the Brewers in a weaker position than they were. The Cubs have more resources and will hopefully take advantage of the Brewers' lineup potentially taking a step backward.

Can the Cubs finally take back the NL Central?

The Cubs haven't won the NL Central Division in a non-COVID year since 2017, and nobody should be more privy to that fact than the team's President Jed Hoyer. The options to improve the Cubs' lineup are limited due to no-trade clauses for Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. But there could be plans to move either Nico Hoerner or Cody Bellinger to improve the starting rotation.

Trading Bellinger may also not simply be a salary dump move. There are rumors linking the Cubs to Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo, who is slated to make $24 million in 2025. They also overpaid for starter Matthew Boyd, giving $29 million to a guy who hasn't even tossed a full season since 2019. Trading Bellinger is a way to open up more at-bats for the outfield/designated hitter position. Hopefully, that would also mean the Cubs pursue a great bat along the lines of Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander, or Teoscar Hernandez.

I'm not holding my breath, but something else needs to happen for the Cubs this offseason. They need to prove to fans they are serious about competing and start producing some convincing results on the field. Whether that is focusing more on baserunning, adding another starting pitcher, or splurging for a power bat, I'm ready for something. With the Cardinals starting a rebuild and the Brewers out of their best bat, the time to strike is now.