Milwaukee loses fan favorite, Willy Adames, to free agency a year after Brewers get $500 million from taxpayers for stadium upgrades

The Milwaukee Brewers are losing a fan favorite and power from both the middle of their lineup and the middle of the infield.

Shortstop Willy Adames has agreed to a $182 million, seven-year contract with San Francisco, providing the Giants with a power-hitting shortstop in the prime of his career, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The 29-year-old Adames spent most of the past four seasons with the Brewers, who are coming off a year where Wisconsin taxpayers are contributing $500 million to upgrade the stadium, while the team is contributing $100 million.

Adames, who was traded from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee in 2021, had career highs last season in home runs (32), RBI 9112), walks (74) and stolen bases (21). In his three full seasons with Milwaukee, Adames hit .236, averaging 29 home runs, 97 RBI. His OPS was .757 over that span.

Adames was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 2012 as a 16-year-old in the Dominican Republic.

FROM AP: The person spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical.

It’s a big splash by the Giants’ new-look front office, which is now led by former All-Star catcher Buster Posey, who took over for the fired Farhan Zaidi in September. San Francisco has missed the playoffs in each of the last three years and just completed a disappointing 80-82 season.

Adames’ deal is the richest in franchise history, according to MLB.com, topping a $167 million, eight-year extension that Posey signed in 2013.

Adames is off the market as the Juan Soto sweepstakes heats up across the league. The young slugger is expected to make his free agency decision very soon. The 26-year-old could command one of the biggest contracts in the sport’s history, rivaling the $700 million, 10-year deal Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason.